American Spirituals

"Throughout the many poems about New Haven, his home, Greene contrasts the ordinary or sinister life of the city with the rarefied atmosphere of the university, to telling effect. . . His poetry is suffused with what used to be called 'social conscience.' Although Wallace Stevens seems to be his master, I am reminded of the poems of James Wright, but without a trace of sentimentality. And there is something about Greene's tone of voice -- almost casual, yet informed by the closest kind of observation. This is lovely writing, precise observation, tender yet realistic. I admire these poems and recommend them." -- from the Foreword