Compositional Bonbons Placate, Miles Champion's first full-length collection, is the work of a poet continually finding new directions, new methods. His concern with a poetry in which the signifier is not overwhelmed by the signified suggests L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poetry, yet the poems-while not conventional-are always emotionally accessible, exploring a range of forms through language poignant but unabashed. The poetry of Tom Raworth and John Ashbery is a visible influence; other pieces take their bearings from the work of Ted Berrigan, Clark Coolidge, Ray DiPalma. Champion never imitates: everything is made new, becomes grist for the dialectical mill.
