Copyright © 2010 Paul D. Ruffin All rights reserved.
Other comments on Paul Ruffin's poetry:
"Paul Ruffin's poetry is open, fresh, strong, believable, and imagina-
tively resourceful. Its tone is personal and convincingly human, and,
though friendly and likable, also aware of the dark possibilities. He is
worth anybody's time, to read and learn from." -
"I am very much taken with Our Women. Paul Ruffin is a poet of rare
generosity and compassion and courage. In their complexity and joy,
his poems remind me of the women I have loved, and of those I have
wished to love. His gift is a strength and a tribute." -
The Book
of Boys and Girls
(poetry)
2003
ISBN: 0-
“The Book of Boys and Girls, the latest collection of poems by gifted poet Paul Ruffin, gives us the art and craft of a poet who has long since found his unique voice and is now writing at the peak of his powers. These are audacious love poems, at once witty and wise, lighthearted and deeply serious. They sing and shine. Taken altogether, they gracefully become “the only poem of the world / worth the writing or worth the knowing.” —George Garrett, Poet Laureate of Virginia.
“New poems from that various and surprising writer Paul Ruffin are always worth sitting up and paying attention to. The first two-thirds of The Book of Boys and Girls mainly comprise one immense love letter to the female of the species—young and old, mothers, lovers, wives—then the poet turns to boys, manhood, and maleness, and the result is a seamless whole. Engaging, readily understandable, Ruffin’s poems nevertheless have depths that challenge us. For any skeptical reader who wants to start with a small sampling, I’d recommend ‘To a Female Student,’ ‘Redneck with Hair on His Back,’ and ‘The Woman Who Made Love on Frost’s grave.’ Read those and I’ll bet you’ll want more.” —X. J. Kennedy
“[Ruffin’s] poems are audacious and funny and full of wordplay that surprises and delights” —Tom May, Dallas Morning News
“[Paul Ruffin] is one of the permanent persons of letters in the Lone Star State. The Book of Boys and Girls, his fifth book of poetry, is a series of love poems and unlike many books of poetry, it is not a grab bag of assorted works but rather a unified whole, as the title suggests. . . . I find this book a breath of fresh air. The language is tough and truthful.” — Robert Phillips, Houston Chronicle.
“New poems from that various and surprising writer Paul Ruffin are always worth sitting up and paying attention to. The first two-
“[Ruffin’s] poems are audacious and funny and full of wordplay that surprises and delights” —Tom May, Dallas Morning News
“[Paul Ruffin] is one of the permanent persons of letters in the Lone Star State. The Book of Boys and Girls, his fifth book of poetry, is a series of love poems and unlike many books of poetry, it is not a grab bag of assorted works but rather a unified whole, as the title suggests. . . . I find this book a breath of fresh air. The language is tough and truthful.” — Robert Phillips, Houston Chronicle.