It was a complete — and very pleasant — surprise to find After included on this terrific list of the best poetry collections of the year. Here’s what they said:

In his third poetry collection, Geoffrey Brock posits a unique take on the “after” poem, those  lyrics written in response to works by other poets and artists. Some of those poems are after poems in the traditional sense, while others are written in the aftermath of the death of his father, the poet Van K. Brock. As a result, the collection ponders what one writer, whether they be actual father-and-son or more of a poetic mentor, inherits from another. 

It’s an honor to be in the company of wonderful recent books by Idra Novey, Danez Smith, Diana Khoi Nguyen, Hala Alyan, Diane Seuss, and others.