"Jack Spicer's 'notorious crankiness' as both bad boy and precursor-figure in early postmodern American poetry is quickly gaining recognition across diverse poetry communities. ... No matter what approach is taken to his work, Spicer remains both purposively and delightfully enchanting."—Patrick James Dunagan,
Rain Taxi"After Spicer is an important collection of essays on a figure of increasing interest to all readers of American poetry. Vincent has gathered a range of (mostly) young and certainly vibrant thinkers—almost all of them poets themselves as well as critics. I found myself stimulated at every turn, glad to have read this work, and newly interested in the poetry of Spicer."—Jay Parini, Axinn Professor of English, Middlebury College
"After Spicer is a first-class introduction to one of the premier American poets of the mid-twentieth century. It covers everything from his detective fiction to his gay rights activism. Afterward you will know why so many of today's poets consider him an indispensable precursor."—Brian Reed, associate professor of English, University of Washington
"Without exception, the essays are beautifully and lucidly written. Vincent has assembled a book that displays real depth of analysis on a complex writer's work, and that yet reads pleasurably from beginning to end."—Victoria Brockmeier, Pleiades
"Jack Spicer's 'notorious crankiness' as both bad boy and precursor-figure in early postmodern American poetry is quickly gaining recognition across diverse poetry communities. ... No matter what approach is taken to his work, Spicer remains both purposively and delightfully enchanting."—Patrick James Dunagan, Rain Taxi
"John Emil Vincent charts a lovely path of analysis twinned with stories relating to Spicer's often tortured personal life. As a critical introduction to Jack Spicer, how he worked, what drove him, his influences, techniques, tactics and strategy for writing poetry, After Spicer is a terrific place to start. Deeply serious essays that nevertheless aren't stuffy in the main, and close reading will prove illuminating. There is no question Spicer can be a challenging poet, but this collection gets to the heart of what he did with a fine balance of approaches."—Colin Cooper, Beat Scene
