Great Regulars: This poem, in which it's hard not to

hear echoes of the terrifying ecstasy of Sylvia Plath's "Morning Song," showcases a kind of godliness that permeates much of this collection. The speaker of [Steve] Orlen's poems is not here guilty of hubris, an accusation also frequently leveled at Plath--he seems far too self-critical and self-indicting for that. On the other hand, he is guilty of a kind of fearlessness. Though self-critical, Orlen refuses to apologize. He never recoils from himself or the world around him. His gaze is unflinching.

from Powells: Review-A-Day: Between the Mouth and the Stinger

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