American Smooth: Poems by Rita Dove; 2004. Hardcover

This exciting new collection pays homage to America's kaleidoscopic cultural heritage: from the glorious shimmer of an operatic soprano to Bessie Smith's mournful wail; from paradise lost to angel-food cake; from hot-shots at the local shooting range to the Negro jazz band in the First World War, whose music conquered Europe before the Allied advance. Like the ball-room dancing couple of the title poem, smiling and making the difficult seem effortless, Rita Dove explores shifting surfaces between perception and imitation.