This book of later poems includes eleven out-of print books written between 1975 and 1994, as well as 49 unpublished poems."In his later poetry. Joel Oppenheimer moved at once back in time and out in space. His New Spaces are thus our origins". David Landrey
"Oppenheimer nurtured the discursive voice in his poems toward a paced deliberation of how he saw people, issues, and actions. His poetry does not rush to action. It moves along slowly, sorting out ways of approaching the center of feelings". Robert Bertholf.
The Collected Later Poems contains poems collected in books written between 1975 and 1988. The volume begins with an useful introduction by Robert Bertholf; it contains poems from eleven out-of-print editions, beginning with "The Woman Poems"(1975), and ending with "New Hampshire Journal" (1994). It also contains 49 additional poems written but not published before Oppenheimer's untimely death. Oppenheimer was a master of the "occasional poem", and had a discursive style which encompasses his personal perceptions of life in and about the places where he lived. All readers of modern American poetry who are concerned about the legacy of William Carlos Williams will also recognize the importance of Joel Oppenheimer to the Black Mountain School of Poetry, and the New York School. The book is elegantly designed and includes drawings by John Dobbs, long-time friend of the poet.
