Poetry. For decades, Joanne Kyger has played a crucial role in California's poetry scene. Her poetry has been influenced by her studies in Zen Buddhism and her connection to the poets of Black Mountain, the San Francisco Renaissance, and the Beat Generation. Ron Silliman describes Kyger's poetry as a point of convergence for all "post-avant" literary tendencies the later half of the 20th Century: "You can hear her influence everywhere, from Naropa, to the later generations of the New York School, to Language poetry. Get a fix on Joanne Kyger and a half century of American poetry suddenly comes clearly into focus." This latest collection may serve as the definitive one, highlighting an excellent sampling of her work.