Alive: New and Selected Poems

Willis’ selected poems showcase a mind that delights in language while keeping a sharp awareness of politics and perception. The work is playful in surface texture—quick turns, surprising juxtapositions—yet serious in what it investigates. Willis often writes in a mode of collage, letting fragments and voices create meaning through proximity. This style captures contemporary consciousness: distracted, flooded, and searching for coherence. The poems are intellectually lively, inviting readers to participate in making sense rather than receiving a message. There’s humor here, but it’s often edged with critique. Willis’ lines can feel airy, then suddenly land on something hard—power, violence, the limits of speech. Across the selection, you see formal range and consistent curiosity. The poems reward rereading, because their effects often emerge after the first pass. The book offers a compelling portrait of a poet attuned to both lyric possibility and public life. Smart, inventive, and quietly bracing.