Touching Fire by Louise Thornton; Jan Strurtevant; Amber Coverdale Sumrall

As one of the prose poems in here has it--Judith W. Steinbergh's wonderfully yeasty 'May Day'--this is both 'hot and earthy stew, epicurean soufflé' Touching Fire is a collection of verse and story from authors as diverse as Deena Metzger,Margaret Atwood,Tess Gallagher, Zora Neale Hurston, and more. The introduction takes great pains to insist that this collection is erotic, not pornographic, a distinction that has grown fuzzier over time. The book would still be banned in plenty of places; yet in its joy and celebration, it belongs in a picnic hamper when heading out for the trees with the one you love.