Bert Meyers

On the Life and Work of an American Master

Published in 2023
ISBN: 978-1734435634
216 pages

This fourteenth volume in the Unsung Masters Series focuses on 20th century poet Bert Meyers, including both a large selection of his very best poems and appreciations from José Angel Araguz, Jim Bogen, Victoria Chang, Amy Gerstler, Garrett Hongo, Daniel Meyers, Barry Sanders, Ari Sherman, Maria Simon, Sean Singer, and others.

“Bert Meyers is an American original—a brilliant poet whose use of tone and figurative language was so emotive, intelligent and nuanced, it became inimitable, became its own unique perspective on our world. I wouldn’t be surprised if mid-21st century scholars announce that in Bert Meyers we have overlooked the best poet of his generation. Immense gratitude to Dana Levin and Adele Williams for this rediscovery.” —Ilya Kaminsky, author of Deaf Republic

“The Most exquisite poetry by any of the L.A.-born poets was written by Bert Meyers (1928–79), a colossal talent. . . . He brought a remarkably precise physicality to poems of an unusual spiritual dimension, poems unlike anything else spawned by the ’50s.” —Philip Levine, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Edited by

Dana Levin

Dana Levin is the author of five collections of poetry. Her most recent is Now Do You Know Where You Are (Copper Canyon, 2022), a New York Times Notable Book. She serves as Distinguished Writer in Residence at Maryville University in Saint Louis.

Adele Elise Williams

Adele Elise Williams is a writer editor and educator pursuing a PhD in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Houston. Her writing can be found in Crazyhorse, The Georgia Review, Guernica, Gulf Coast, and elsewhere.