The verse novel employs a delicate (and often unpredictable) balance between narrative and poetry to deliver a powerful form of storytelling. The “do not try this at home” warning might apply for amateurs but it’s unlikely anyone has ever been seriously hurt by a bad verse novel. Fortunately, there are no such worries when it comes to respected poet/playwright Glyn Maxwell and one of his latest works, The Sugar Mile. Set in a New York bar and using tragic stories from WWII to 9/11, it gets further dramatic treatment in a special Poets’ Theatre production directed by Elysa Marden. Maxwell’s tale of two green children in WolfPit recently enjoyed a favorable run at Theatre Three in Manhattan.

[The Poets’ Theatre II: Glyn Maxwell’s The Sugar Mile: 05/15/06]

Additional reading: Verse novel suggestions from poetry blogger Andrew Shields