Hosts and Guests: Poems

Nate Klug is a poet who explores the push-pull between community and solitude, and past and present, in his second collection, Hosts and Guests. The poems move from a San Francisco tech bar to the Shakers and St. Augustine, exploring the themes of hospitality and estrangement. Klug's work combines close observation of the natural world, social commentary, and spiritual questioning in chiseled, musical lines that blend the visual and the sonically.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 96 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2020
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Nate Klug, a poet whose debut was celebrated by the Colorado Review as "a seduction by way of small astonishments," has garnered acclaim from the Threepenny Review for his distinctive poetic voice. In his captivating second collection, Hosts and Guests, Klug delves into the complexities of identity and the interplay between community and solitude. The poems traverse a diverse range of settings, from a San Francisco tech bar to a band of Pokémon Go enthusiasts, and even venture into the realms of the Shakers and St. Augustine. Through these poetic explorations, Klug examines the tug-of-war between past and present, tradition and modernity, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world.

Hosts and Guests showcases an impressive array of themes, including critiques of the "immiserated quiet" of contemporary life, tender love poems, and introspective meditations on the nature of faith. At a time when the concepts of hospitality and estrangement have taken on renewed significance, Klug approaches these themes with a keen eye for detail, employing lyrical lines that seamlessly blend close observation of the natural world, social commentary, and profound spiritual inquiry. As noted by Booklist, Klug's work "renders the visual sonically, so perfectly one wants to involve the rest of the senses, to speak the lines, to taste the syllables."

In conclusion, Nate Klug's Hosts and Guests is a testament to his talent as a poet who possesses a unique ability to capture the essence of human experience through his poetic language. With its rich tapestry of themes, vivid imagery, and musicality, this collection offers readers a captivating journey into the complexities of the human condition. Whether one is drawn to the exploration of identity, the interplay between community and solitude, or the quest for spiritual meaning, Klug's work provides a thought-provoking and deeply resonant experience that will linger long after the last page is turned.

Weight: 212g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 11 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691203539