This new collection contains poetry by northern Californian writers who began to publish no earlier than 1962, have completed at least a second full-length book of poetry and have created a mature art, distinct in itself. The selections, spanning the poets' careers to date, draw outstanding poems from unpublished manuscripts as well as from earlier volumes and are complemented by essays written by the poets themselves. The essays are about the writing and reading of poetry, the intent, the influences and the life behind the work.