Night Errands

"Night Errands" is an anthology comprising personal essays and accompanying poems by over two dozen contemporary American poets. It focuses specifically on the messages the subconscious sends nightly to poets, and the ways such communications affect their work. The book is based on the premise that dreams and poetry are intimately related and in fact, parallel languages. Both rely on compression, juxtaposition, deep imagery and ambiguity to create a charged atmosphere and unearth buried truths. Informal in tone, "Night Errands" brings together primary materials from poets speaking in their individual voices. The essays are lively, personally revealing and may inspire writing students looking to deepen their own work. Many contributors are eminent figures who have won Pulitzer Prizes and National Book Awards, while others are younger poets still establishing their reputations.