Changeable Thunder marks David Bakerâs emergence as a major contemporary poet. To his abiding sense of the Midwestâits politics, people, and landscapesâBaker adds a powerful historical dimension, with poems ranging from Puritan New England to the modern subway. Of particular note are poems on the works of other writers, as he reanimates Shelleyâs letters, Samuel Sewallâs diaries, and Walt Whitmanâs novel. With brilliant technique, dazzling formal variety, and moving intimacy, Bakerâs poems explore personal illness, erotic and familial passion, artistic creation, and the constant work and changing weather of one manâs life.
Changeable Thunder marks David Bakerâs emergence as a major contemporary poet. To his abiding sense of the Midwestâits politics, people, and landscapesâBaker adds a powerful historical dimension, with poems ranging from Puritan New England to the modern subway. Of particular note are poems on the works of other writers, as he reanimates Shelleyâs letters, Samuel Sewallâs diaries, and Walt Whitmanâs novel. With brilliant technique, dazzling formal variety, and moving intimacy, Bakerâs poems explore personal illness, erotic and familial passion, artistic creation, and the constant work and changing weather of one manâs life.