The Best American Poetry 2009 Series Editor David Lehman

David Wagoner writes about regular lives with plain grace and transcendent humanity, and the seventy-five poems he has chosen for the 2009 edition ofThe Best American Poetrygrapple with life, celebrate freedom, and teem with imaginative energy. With engaging notes from the poets, Wagoner's superb introductory essay, series editor David Lehman's astute foreword about the current state of poetry and criticism, and cover art from the beloved poet John Ashbery,The Best American Poetry 2009is a memorable and delightful addition to a series dedicated to showcasing the work of poets at their best.

Born in Ohio, raised in Indiana, David Wagoner moved to Seattle and became one of the most distinctive voices of the Pacific Northwest. In addition to his many poetry collections, most recently A Map of the Night (2008), he has written ten novels, including The Escape Artist (1965), which Francis Ford Coppola adapted into a movie. A former Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Wagoner edited Poetry Northwest from 1966 until its last issue in 2002. He is an emeritus professor at the University of Washington and lives in Bothell, Washington.

David Lehman is the series editor of The Best American Poetry. He is the editor of The Oxford Book of American Poetry and the author of seven books of poetry, including When a Woman Loves a Man. He teaches in the graduate writing program of the New School and lives in New York City.