This image is the cover for the book Common Sense, Wesleyan Poetry Series

Common Sense, Wesleyan Poetry Series

First published in 1979, Common Sense evinces a spare street-wise style rooted in the vernacular of the city. Now something of a cult classic, the book is recognized as an understated masterpiece, pushing at the edges of spoken word. This is the language of everyday, brought onto the page in such a way that we never lose the flow of speech and at the same time we become attuned to its many registers—musical, emotional, ironic. Ted Greenwald's work has been associated with several major veins of American poetry, including the Language movement and the New York School, but it remains unclassifiable. An online reader's companion will be available at tedgreenwald.site.wesleyan.edu.

Ted Greenwald

Ted Greenwald (1959-2016) had published extensively for over fifty years. He was the author of over thirty books, including Common Sense, Age of Reasons, Licorice Chronicles, Word of Mouth, Jumping the Line, In Your Dreams, 3 and Clearview/LIE. Greenwald's work had been featured in the PennSound Series, the Segue Reading Series at the Bowery Poetry Club and Public Access Poetry. Heralded as an innovator in the world of poetry, Greenwald was a trailblazer for modern poets everywhere through his creation of Language poetry, inviting the reader to find meaning instead of the poet providing one.

Wesleyan University Press