The American poet Stephen Dobyns is a spinner of dark, extravagant fables of a world we live or may live in. His poems are peopled with devils and angels, ghostly chickens, distorted mythical figures, God, and the risen dead 'pretending they're still alive'. They present a view of what it means to be human which is at once both funny and bleak, compassionate and remorseless. His is a world haunted by regret, driven by desire and need, illuminated by daring make-believe. In his often frightening and sometimes strangely funny poems, Dobyns creates a remarkable bridge between pure entertainment and deep psychological insight.