"In THRUM Joel Allegretti, deftly and delightfully, strums his magical musical instrument, which is poetry, as he forges fresh forms of songs and stories that are inspired by strummers' strings. 'Context is everything, ' Allegretti reminds us, and we're planted in the heart of a global ancient/modern orchestra. Prepare yourself for the revelatory performance."-- Martine Bellen, Author of TALES OF MURASAKI AND OTHER POEMS, 1997 National Poetry Series selection