Reading Berryman to the Dog

Reading Berryman to the Dog, by Wendy Taylor Carlisle Originally published in 2000, this new edition of Wendy Taylor Carlisle’s debut collection explores the weight of memory, the risks of love, and the life that remains possible through loss. While paying homage to the American poet John Berryman, Carlisle’s voice remains distinct in its approach and vision, while staying open to the world despite its pains and promises of failure. Reading Berryman to the Dog can now reach a new audience coming to terms with similar tragic themes while seeking a hopeful path forward.   Wendy Taylor Carlisle lives in the Arkansas Ozarks. She is the author of four books and five chapbooks and is the 2020 winner of the Phillip H. McMath Post-Publication Award for her fourth book, The Mercy of Traffic.   Praise for Reading Berryman to the Dog: “The poems of Wendy Taylor Carlisle are vibrant, original, intelligent, tough, funny, and sharp as a first-time blade. I admire them utterly. They do not contain a