Category Archives: Brian Turner

Brian Turner It’s been an honor to write these poems over the last 15 days—all in service to the Larry Levis Scholarship fund at Fresno State. It’s an honor, too, to write alongside Fresno poets Monique Quintana and Joseph Rios. Thank you to all who have been able to pitch in and donate to thisContinue reading “Brian Turner – The Field at Night”

Brian Turner Today’s poem begins with its title borrowed from a line in “Decrescendo” by Larry Levis (from Winter Stars) and swerves at one point for a cameo by Phil Levine. I gesture here to things he’d said both in a workshop I took with him and, of course, in interviews he did. He receivedContinue reading “Brian Turner – Revising Autumn”

Brian Turner Today’s poem (“Clutch”) is the only one that’s out of order (and not written ‘today’). I hope you don’t feel cheated! I’m still in the marathon, only I knew in advance that I needed to interview memoirist Jerad Alexander for the Miami Book Fair (with a conversation about his wonderful new book, Volunteers,Continue reading “Brian Turner – Clutch”

Brian Turner I set out to write a poem about a phenomenal player and human being named Bullet Rogan (Charles Wilber Rogan, also known as Bullet Rogan or Bullet Joe; 1893-1967). He was a two-way star, along the lines of the present-day superstar Shohei Otani of the Angels—only Rogan hit cleanup even on the daysContinue reading “Brian Turner – Leon Day”

Brian Turner The Care Unit Softball Team Before we could head over to the park to take infield,gloving the ball on the short hop and flipping to secondto turn two, and before we each took turns in the cagewith our beat-up foam-insulated helmets muting the world,we’d sit in a circle of folding chairs to drinkContinue reading “Brain Turner – The Care Unit Softball Team”