Yaddith Times

The 2022 Rhysling Anthology by F. J. Bergmann

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This voting tool & annual anthology for the SFPA's Rhysling Awards continues to be a reliable snapshot of trends & concerns in speculative verse, as well as an introduction to many notable names in this small but vibrant field.

This year, however, that "snapshot" has evolved into a full-length feature film! The attractive trade paperback edition is nearly 300 pages. The inclusion of several very long poems (well over five pages) in the Long Form category resulted in a decision to print excerpted versions of these poems in the print anthology, with full text online. Although the poems remain available, this may be a disappointment for devotees of long form work.

Despite these growing pains, however, this anthology is highly recommended to anyone wishing to update themselves on the past year's speculative poetry. The diversity of the 2022 edition is remarkable, though formal verse remains scarce.



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