"This book is a dynamic introduction to the avant-garde of the past 150 years, as well as to Perloff's work. Bayot's judicious selections include discussions of manifestos, conceptualism, language and translation, Robert Lowell, poetry and pedagogy, futurism, conflicting traditions, and the practice of criticism. Perloff quotes writers she admires with ease (particularly Ezra Pound, Frank O'Hara, and David Antin). Favourite axioms ('do not re-tell in mediocre verse what has already been done in good prose') recur, giving the reader a clear understanding of the thought that has influenced her. The collection reveals Perloff at her best, as she 'debates the role of various poetic movements and poets, as well as the larger relationship of poetry to culture.' She is a gifted conversationalist with a remarkable awareness of her lifetime's work, and a gratifying willingness continually to reassess her own ideas."–Rona Cran "Times Literary Supplement"