That Swing

"Typical of Kennedy's versatility and willingness to defy poetic expectations . . ."—Los Angeles Review of Books

"Now eighty-six, we should all hope Kennedy amends this closing prayer, and asks the Lord to let him produce quality work well into his nineties."—Claremont Review of Books

"These are beautiful poems by one of the best poets we have."—Sewanee Review, reviewing a previous edition or volume

"For over forty years, technical virtuoso X. J. Kennedy has entertained readers with tightly constructed formal poems in colloquial language. [Kennedy] makes us understand why our world drives us to song."—Southern Review, reviewing a previous edition or volume

"Mordant, funny, and even sometimes rather frightening; the poet, so much in control of his formal means, seems himself rather dismayed by the fearful things he points to."—Hudson Review, reviewing a previous edition or volume

"Well, here he goes again, America's finest formalist, with a simply delightful collection of new poems."—Texas Review, reviewing a previous edition or volume

"Kennedy's 'wit' is not mere cleverness. Rather it combines accuracy of perception with the metaphoric imagination that, with his ability to juggle fixed forms, enlivens the best poems in this satisfying collection."—New England Review, reviewing a previous edition or volume

"X. J. Kennedy? He ought to be declared a national resource and excused from taxation."—The Weekly Standard, reviewing a previous edition or volume

"Kennedy's work remains cultured, likable, and witty."—Publishers Weekly, reviewing a previous edition or volume