From Poetry:

“McWilliams undertakes an immense task here by seeking to tell Stanford’s story—I would’ve thought it near impossible for someone to pull off at this high of a level, yet he does. The Life and Poetry of Frank Stanford is a stunning consideration of the life and work of this American original, of the sacrifices and dangers of making art and of creativity, of the ways this world will try to break artists down, and of the conflicted, bright-burning heart of creation itself. It’s as essential as biographies get. One of my favorite (among the frequently quoted) lines from Stanford’s The Battlefield Where the Moon Says I Love You is “all of this / is magic against death.” I cite it often, especially to relay some feeling of gratitude I might not otherwise be able to articulate, be it to friends, readers, booksellers, or other writers. And so, I’ll end there now, with that same sense of gratitude. Stanford’s work itself is truly magic against death, and I’m happy to report that McWilliams’s is as well.”

—William Boyle

From Southwest Review:

In all my days reading biographies and long-form essays about artists, their work, and their often fascinating lives, McWilliams’s important new book is near the top of the list of the very best of them. It belongs on your bookshelf, and its meticulous attention to every detail astonishes. I hope McWilliams’s long-necessary biography will persuade readers to experience Frank Stanford for the first time or convince those who have read him to return to him and listen.”

—Elijah Burrell