Singing Lessons

Lin Benedek crafts a poetic score, both grand and intimate, in her latest collection, Singing Lessons. I'm awed by her meticulous eye for detail, and what a testament to her powers of recall and observation that she's able to weave an opulent tapestry of examined gesture, dialogue, and mise en scène with brief philosophical turns that ground her handiwork in a richly, dark terrain. This book is sumptuous repast for ear and imagination as Benedek pulls us in close to her contemplated world of things and sings us through.

Michelle Bitting, Broken Kingdom

Lin Benedek's latest collection, Singing Lessons, has a "morning glory," "French horn," "say salvation" soundtrack playing throughout the poems, which, above all, demonstrate that "women need to take up more space." From Marvin Gaye to Papa Haydn to variations on variations, you won't be able to keep yourself from humming along.

Lynne Thompson, Fretwork

These poems blend all the senses, the nerves of the brain, and the blood of the heart. I admire the variety of their forms, studded with the images of Southern California, from the gritty to the gorgeous. Benedek's impulse is to tell a story, but she's never that far from a song.

Joseph Millar, Kingdom