Also feast with Carlson in the company of Blake, of Goya, marvel at her compelling empathy with Sleeping Beauty, her wicked ode to "Pornos: Muse of Hack" . The Elephant House -- such delicious and beautiful poems!

Hilary Beckett

Carlson is a fearless poet, who places no limitations on her subjects, but approaches all with a sense of wonder, affection and generosity that allows us to eperience her vision with joy, not trepidation. Her fairy tale poems are particularly brilliant, bringing a whole new viewpoint to those familiar and dark old tales. Case Studies is an important poem for women, as it reveals that we are indeed sexual from a very early age, something not much discussed. It also reveals the ability of the young to look at everything with a slightly detached curiosity, which does not kill the cat, it simply makes it more eager to discover the complexities of life among the grown-ups.

I agree with Mr. Gonzales - naughty by delightful! What young girls has not been curious about sex? Especially if she had no brothers to observe running around naked. And curious girls tend to turn the incident into humor rather than be turned on!

Claudia is my daughter-in-law, and I am so proud of her accomplishments

Well, speaking as one who is still exploring, I'd say this poem is pretty dead on. And "Fearless Poet" is a perfect title, Ms. Greenhill-Taylor. My Mother is brilliant.

The Fetish a Day Report might gather quite a following even in this day and age - if there isn't a blog with that name, there ought to be.

I love the way the poem evokes all our first misconceptions about sex, and the excitement and misery attendant on the misunderstanding. This poem and Elephant House do indeed have many of the elements of a Blldungsroman - that's a really astute observation - as the poet wanders through a world full of shocks, wonders, and inconsistencies, in pursuit of her own adulthood.

This is an intriguing example of the poems in Claudia Carlson's wide-eyed collection. Throughout THE ELEPHANT HOUSE Carlson's imaginings explore so much that is worthy of our attention.

Since I can't separate the poet from the child-self Claudia writes about...

I find it interesting that she chose to embrace "true confession" stories in her play as a child with her younger sister, but protectively withheld Havelock.

I must have been seven or younger. We were in the car on a long summer trek across the country... The pipecleaner doll was in her most beautiful tissue paper dress and she was being prepared to be sacrificed as a virgin. Intrigued as I was, a part of me questioned,"where does she get this stuff?" I am somewhat reassured to know, Claudia was not channeling romance novelists, but had incorporated their work into something way more thrilling. To do so defied the boundaries of her feminist mom (who claimed the role of rebel herself).

I am very proud of her work. It is familiar and wonderful to be mesmerized and pulled in by Claudia's words!!