Little Black Book by Chad Frame

These poems are both daring and precisely made. There is powerful longing here, and, without a carefully measured restraint, this emotive force could derail the poems, but they remain richly evocative and ask for the reader to be present in numerous and surprising ways.

–Tim Seibles, Poet Laureate Emeritus of Virginia

We look for truth in poetry; but some poets tell the truth better than others; and so we have Chad Frame’s Little Black Book with lists/poems of male lovers. Frame has the skill and talent to change circumstances and incidents to artistry, gifted with the authenticity we want in a poem. We tell our students, “Be more like yourself, more and more each poem.” Now we can just say, “Read Chad Frame.” He’s not afraid of fear; he’s not ashamed of shame. Plato talks of pleasure/pain; and neuroscientists can now measure it; but nowhere do we know more its balance than in fine poetry. Part autobiography, almost novella-in-verse, we have characters, situations, and plot, elevated by craft and lyric to make poetry. Frame ends his book with the words ‘this buoyant heart is yours’—We say “ours, too.” Little Black Book moves poetry forward.

–Grace Cavalieri, Poet Laureate of Maryland