It has been very exciting to see Rhina start to get her due. I picked her first book up in a used book store in 1993 before I met her or realized that she was a gathering force fifty miles north of me. I had seen some of her work in journals, and the work, which was always stunning, just keeps getting better. She is also a terrific person (sad to say, many of the prominent New Formalists are a bit disappointing as people), and has been an inspiration to a whole group of poets through her Powow River group, including me, Len Krisak, Deborah Warren, Bill Coyle, Alfred Nicol and many others who are now publishing regularly. She also has a broader influence through her tireless contacts with poets all over the country. So, all of you, go out and buy her books! NOW! ...OK, you have until Tuesday-- but then I start to get nasty!
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