A companion volume to Kizer's Mermaids in the Basement: poems for women ( LJ 10/1/84), a Pulitzer Prize-winner in 1985, this selection of ``poems for men'' includes several poems from early, out-of-print volumes. Unfortunately, most poems aren't dated, and Kizer's style seems to have changed little over the years. The poems contain an abundance of literary allusions used to avoid direct personal statement; even in technically correct poems for other writers, the connections seem superficial. A few exceptions, such as ``Winter Song'' and some of the poems about her father, prove Kizer capable of expressing emotion directly if she chooses; one wishes there were more poems of this sort. The book makes one realize how much women's poetry has evolved in the past 15 years. Rochelle Ratner, formerly Poetry Editor ``Soho Weekly News,'' New York
