Turn Up the Ocean

The late Tony Hoagland's final book of poems is an amazing collection put together by the writer and his wife, Kathleen Lee. Even in his last years of battling pancreatic cancer, he never lost his wry wit and distinct worldview. Hoagland's incredible work has consistently brought me belly laughs and wrenching tears, and Turn Up the Ocean is no different. Recommended By Eric L., Powells.com

The final book of poems by Tony Hoagland, "one of the most distinctive voices of our time" (Carl Dennis).

Over the course of his celebrated career, Tony Hoagland ventured fearlessly into the unlit alleys of emotion and experience. The poems in Turn Up the Ocean examine with an unflinching eye and mordant humor the reality of living and dying in a time and culture that conspire to erase our inner lives. Hoagland's signature wit and unparalleled observations take in long-standing injustices, the atrocities of American empire and consumerism, and our ongoing habit of looking away. In these poems, perseverance depends on a gymnastics of skepticism and comedy, a dogged quest for authentic connection, and the consolations of the natural world. Turn Up the Ocean is a remarkable and moving collection, a fitting testament to Hoagland's devotion to the capaciousness and art of poetry.

Tony Hoagland (1953-2018) was the award-winning author of seven books of poetry, including Priest Turned Therapist Treats Fear of God and What Narcissism Means to Me, and four books about poetry, including Twenty Poems That Could Save America.