Below is an excerpt of Barbara Berman’s review of Said Not Said by Fred Marchant:
When Thomas Campbell, the head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, wrote an op-ed in the New York Times defending the National Endowment for the Arts, I was reminded of something Edna St. Vincent Millay said in the last century. She said that battles had to be fought over and over again, and though she was referring to the right of women to vote, we all know that the culture wars and political wars we are in right now will get uglier before they ease up. We also know that we must learn from the mistakes that let hatred and repression get as far as they have.
The existence of Graywolf Press is one of countless examples Campbell did not have the space to mention, and like many independent presses in its league, it has a history of state, support, and many of its authors have received NEA grants. Said Not Said is Fred Marchant’s fifth collection of poetry, and like all his earlier work, it will burnish Graywolf’s reputation.