Anthology of Post-1975 Poetry

July 10, 2016 8:36 PM

My father studied contemporary poetry in college, and has expressed regret that today he can't name a poem that's less than 40 years old. I want to surprise him with a gift - is there a single-volume anthology, or coursebook of poetry covering the past few decades that he might enjoy? If 'Intro To Post-1975 Poetry' is too impossibly broad, a survey of Canadian poets in specific would also appeal to him.
posted by Simon! to Writing & Language (5 answers total)

Volume 2 of The Norton Anthology of Modern and Conemporary Poetry might be just what you're looking for.
posted by eustacescrubb at 9:19 PM on July 10, 2016

Afraid I can't help with a survey, but how about a subscription to Poetry Magazine?

Focused on American poetry rather than Canadian.
posted by notyou at 9:20 PM on July 10, 2016

It's ten years old now but Emergency Kit: Poems for Strange Times is a great anthology of more offbeat contemporary poetry than you'd likely find in a teaching text. It has both big names like Plath, Stevie Smith, Heaney and Hughes and plenty of not so well known poets from across the English-speaking world.

I've even given this as a gift to people who swore they'd never touch poetry after their bad experiences with it in school with positive results.
posted by o seasons o castles at 10:10 PM on July 10, 2016

For a Canadian specific anthology, this ticks many of your boxes. It's a nice volume.
posted by jamaal at 7:21 AM on July 11, 2016

Andrei Codrescu's anthology American Poetry Since 1970: Up Late is worth mentioning, although I cannot comment upon its Canadian contents.
posted by the matching mole at 10:56 AM on July 11, 2016