On Susan Browne

Susan Browne has been my student for several years; I've watched her work harder than anyone I know to bring her poems to fruition. She's funny, heartfelt, unabashedly emotional and narrative. I find her complete humanity so bracing.

It was difficult to choose what to send, but I chose three poems that I think convey her irreverence and humor. I especially admire the way "Life is Too Hard" begins with the narrator driving home from a funeral, and then delivers up hysterical laughter instead of the expected earnestness. Browne's poems remind me that the best humor is about deadly serious issues.

—Kim Addonizio, author of three books of poetry and a collection of stories. Her new poetry collection, What Is This Thing Called Love, is forthcoming from W.W. Norton.