51

There are so few writers who can make us smile even as they're breaking our hearts. With 51, his first book in more than six years, Paul Zarzyski gives us not only 30 of his finest poems but also the lyrics to 20 songs co-written with the likes of Ian Tyson, Tom Russell, and Wylie Gustafson. And with 1 brilliant self-interview, he shows us what shaped him as an author and artist, performer and poet. Personal and profound, 51 is destined to be seen as one of the new decade's most important contributions to the literature of the West.