This is an anthology of poetry by American poets inspired by famous works of American art. Editor Jan Greenberg divides the poets' reaction to the poems into four categories--memories, assuming the voice of the subjects, impressions of the poet, and expressions of the subject matter. The book also contains good notes on authors and artists in the back of the book. ( )

Wonderful combination of American art and poetry. These 43 poems were commissioned to compliment the selected works of American art, which span the history of American art. There is a wide range of art and poetry - something to appeal to almost any reader. There are four official categories - Stories, Voices, Impressions, and Expressions along with notes about each poet and artist.

I love the way the poems encourage readers to explore the works of art in a fresh way. This could be a wonderful tool to encourage students to write their own responses to works of art or to draw visual responses to classroom texts. There is such a wonderful variety of subjects and paintings, this collection as many entry points into a variety of subjects in and out of fine arts. ( )

This is a collection of poems by various authors that were inspired by specific art works in the twentieth-century. There is a wide variety to the art pieces selected offering a diverse representation of both art and poetry.

Greenberg introduces this collection by stating that the poems, which are inspired by the images, are arranges in “four distinct but complimentary motifs:” there are stories, which are “poems that conjured a memory or tell an anecdote.” Some examples of poem/art pairings include “Woman at the Piano” (poem) by William Jay Smith with “Woman at the Piano” (painting) by Elie Nadelman; “The Bison Returns” (poem) by Tony Johnston and “Standing Buffalo” (sculpture) by Charles M. Russell; and “Early Sunday Morning” (poem) by Dan Masterson and “Early Sunday Morning” (painting) by Edward Hopper.

Another motif is that of voices, which “contains poems in which the poet steps inside the artwork and assumes the voice of the object or person depicted there.” Some examples of poem/art pairings in this motif include “From Above” (poem) by Angela Johnson and “Tar Beach” (painting and textile) by Faith Ringgold; “Martha Graham in ‘Letter to the World’” (poem) by Lyn Lifshin and “Martha Graham, Letter to the World” (photograph) by Barbara Morgan; and “America Talks” (poem) by Peter F. Neumeyer and “Barber Shop” (painting) by Jacob Lawrence.

The third motif is impressions, which display “the poets’ powers of description as they examine the elements of the artwork and offer vibrant word pictures based on what is contained there.” Notable poem/art pairings in this section include “Red Hills and Bones” (poem) by Laura Kasischke and “Red Hills and Bones” (painting) by Georgia O’Keeffe; “Big French Bread” (poem) by Marvin Bell and “French Bread” (mixed media) by Red Grooms; and “Diamante for Chuck” (poem) by Jan Greenberg and “Self-Portrait (painting) by Chuck Close.

Finally, the fourth motif, expressions, “explores aspects of visual form that concern the nature of art and the artist.” Included in this section are “”Lessons from a Painting by Rothko” (poem) by Bobbi Katz and “Untitled” (painting) by Mark Rothko; “River Song (poem) by Warren Woessner and “Brooklyn Bridge: Variation on an Old Theme” (painting) by Joseph Stella; and “The World, Starring You” (poem) by Naomi Shihab Nye and “The Cathedrals of Broadway (painting) by Florine Stettheimer.

What is notable about the art is that Greenberg includes a variety of mediums here: there is mixed media, oil on canvas, photographs, sculptures, aerographs, prints, silkscreens, and collages. The wide array of mediums presented will appeal to all tastes. Further, the poems are presented in a variety of formats: there is free verse but also standardized verses such as sonnets and patterns. Heart to Heart is an excellent, accessible interdisciplinary work appropriate for middle school ages and up. ( )

This book is a compilation of poetry by different authors that has been inspired by famous and less-known 20th century American art. The poems in this book are broken into four distinct varieties: stories, voices, impressions and expressions. The poems in the grouping "stories" relate an anecdote, those in "voices" express the voice of the object/person in the artwork, in "impressions" the poems utilize imagery to describe an aspect of the artwork, and in "expressions" the writer's view of the artwork and art is communicated. The illustrations are an integral part of this book, as the poems are based off the illustrations. They are prints of original works of art throughout American history.