One doesn’t have to be a literary scholar to deeply admire and enjoy Wilda Morris’s Pequod Poems: Gamming with Moby Dick -a brilliant compendium of literary insight, criticism, historical research, and especially her skillfully written poems. Among the many delights of the latter are reflections narrated by some of Melville’s most unforgettable characters-Ishmael, Queequeg, Starbuck, and Ahab himself, of course-as well as by members of Melville’s memorable supporting cast that includes Pip, Stubb, the Maltese sailor, and a salty host of others, along with confidences from Ahab’s and Starbuck’s distant wives. Morris also reveals her impressive mastery of poetic forms: the sonnet, the sestina, the rondeau, and-somewhat surprisingly, in this context-a wide range of newer, more obscure forms such as the Golden Shovel, the erasure poem, and the lipogram. Suffice to say that whether it’s erudition you’re seeking, or poetic virtuosity, or simply an imaginative retelling of a phenomenally good story, you’ll find yourself rewarded by taking a close look at Wilda Morris’s remarkable Pequod Poems. Marilyn L. Taylor, Ph.D., Wisconsin Poet Laureate Emerita
Wilda Morris’ Pequod Poems is a stunning and deeply imagined collection. Employing both traditional and invented forms, Morris creates a rich sonic and linguistic world in which Melville’s characters explore their complex lives and reveal to us our own.
Justen Ahren, Poet Laureate of Martha’s Vineyard and author of A Strange Catechism
Whether or not you’ve read Moby-Dick, Wilda Morris’s book is a wonderful companion. Like Melville’s masterpiece, it is formally adventurous, deeply entertaining, both funny and philosophical–and redolent of the sea. I learned things about Moby-Dick, about language, and about the human condition from these fine poems
Will Hansen, Director of Reader Services and Curator of Americana and facilitator of adult education classes on Moby-Dick, Newberry Library, Chicago
