Review: Perspective to Pen, Edited by Ben C. Ward, Created by Robert A. Cozzi

The work of twelve talented poets overflows the pages of Perspective to Pen: An Anthology, created by Robert A. Cozzi and edited by Ben C. Ward. This collection touches on every imaginable angle of the human experience – abstract and symbolic musings, bold political statements, heartrending commentaries on love, and vivid personal recollections of childhood and lost memory.

Lisa Bain fearlessly explores grief and perseverance with unconventional structure and commonplace imagery in her work, while Brian Fuchs hurls powerful political demands as easily as he shares vulnerable vignettes of pain and loss. Shanika Benoit’s work resembles mantras and meditations, with deep wisdom couched in her carefully chosen words. Max Asbeek Brusse blends prose and rhythm to tell his stories, but there is also subtle playfulness in his depictions.

The creator of this collection, Robert A. Cozzi, is also featured among the poets, with pieces that are timely – touching on the sadness and silence of this pandemic year, as well as looking with nostalgia on the past and hope for the future. Emily Salt has an experimental whirlwind of a pen, toying with form and meter and language, like improvised jazz spilling out on the page. She is one of the strongest voices in the collection, both for originality and confidence. Cody James has a rustic, simple feel to many of his poems, and while his work isn’t as technically flashy or complex as other poets featured here, there is an authentic charm to his contributions. These are just a few from the diverse catalogue of talent on display.

Each of these poets brings something different to the readers’ table, which keeps this collection fresh and entertaining from start to finish. Opening the book with a piece from each contributor is a great way to introduce each voice, and allows readers to choose their own path through these pages. The poet’s individual section begins with an introduction, which provides a nice breather between these disparate voices, adding some context and personality to each selection. Few people sit down to read a full book of poetry front to back, and this collection makes it easy to savor, offering something different each time. With so many poets and poems, there obviously isn’t a cohesive theme, but the mood shifts smoothly from solemn and sorrowful to playful and optimistic.

In terms of the curation, Ward could have been more selective in his choices; while there are many strong and unique poems here, there are also some redundant or less polished pieces that would not be missed if the collection was thinned out by 20-30 pages. When the vast majority of poems are strong, easily earning their place in the anthology, the weak contributions are all the more obvious. Redundant themes, language and images, particularly among the same poet’s pieces, could be adjusted to keep the curation feeling fresh. Additional editing within a number of poems is also called for – from misspelled words and commonplace imagery to inexplicable enjambment and heavy-handed wordplay, some poems are clearly not as strong as others.

All told, however, Perspective to Pen is a complex and multifaceted collection, with beautiful gems scattered throughout the work of these twelve compelling poets.