One of the best volumes in this series due, no doubt, to the brilliance of Hayes whose introduction was a masterpiece of humor, insight, literary scope, and fun comprising an interview of Hayes by Charles Kinbote of Pale Fire fame in which John Slade is cited. Hayes has chosen broadly and wisely with a mixture of the little known and the famous (five Pulitzer Prize winners, two National Book Award winners, and at least two previous editors of these volumes).  Armatrout, Komunyakaa, Ashbery, Dove, Olds, Doty and a bevy of unknowns provide wonderful ‘moments’ of poetry:  Gregory Pardlo’s ‘heel chewed hems of his pants.’; Steve Scafidi’s ‘dying is a song the body is learning”; Frederick Seidel’s ‘the trees express their branches like lungs showing off their bronchi’.   Always interesting are the comments by the poets at the back of the book providing insight into their creative process as well as a marvelous view of the American poetry scene—an airline attendant, a cabinetmaker, lots of professors, tons of literary prizes and fellowships.  It all seems quite vital, and this book is a fine reminder of that.  In the future, I’ll buy it rather than take it from the library so I can dip into it over time rather than race to the finish.