It”s the Fall – the time of year that the publishers put out the big books, the ones that they hope will make a splash in time to make it onto people”s gift-giving lists. Here”s what”s coming out this fall in the world of poetry (source: Publishers Weekly)

My Pick
Thirst (Oct., $22) by Mary Oliver presents 38 new poems from the Pulitzer Prize winner, illuminating her perspective on grief, loss and faith.
# Hardcover: 88 pages
# Publisher: Beacon Press; 1st edition (October 4, 2006)
The reviews are, as always, good, though there”s a strong undercurrent that Oliver has taken a new direction in her work. The Publishers Weekly review suggests that some readers may find some of the poems heavy-handed in their religious imagery.

The Book of Martyrdom and Artifice: First Journals and Poems: 1937-1952 (Oct., $27.50) by Allen Ginsberg contains previously unpublished poems by the Beat Generation poet.
# Hardcover: 416 pages
# Publisher: Da Capo Press (November 2006)
Scheduled for release in November, new poems from Allen Ginsberg. No reviews yet – available from Amazon.ca, but not on the US web site yet.

So What: New and Selected Poems 1973-2005 (Sept., $18) by Taha Muhammad Ali, trans. by Peter Cole and Gabriel Levin. This bilingual collection marks the American debut of the Palestinian poet.
# Paperback: 280 pages
# Publisher: Copper Canyon Press; Bilingual edition (September 2006)
Ali is Palestine”s most highly regarded poet. His work is fresh and forthright, and inspired the Washington Post to say, “He has developed a style that seems both ancient and new, deceptively simple and movingly direct.” So What is the first of Ali”s books to be translated for an American audience. Again, can be pre-ordered on Amazon.ca, but not yet available at Amazon.com.

See the Publishers Weekly list for other releases.