Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems

Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems by Larry Levis is out now, published February 3, 2026.
Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems

Author: Larry Levis

Published

Published: February 3, 2026

Readers also liked these books:

A Suit or a Suitcase: Poems
The Near and Distant World: Poems
The Book of Alice: Poems
Steeplechase: Poems (Pitt Poetry Series)
Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems Release Date: February 3, 2026
Check availability on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

All the blazingly original work by Larry Levis, “one of the greatest poets of a generation” (Carolyn Forché)

The poetry of Larry Levis increasingly occupies a legendary place of reverence among poets and readers–the spell of his reputation only continuing to widen in the thirty years since his death. From the briefer lyrics and deep image-making of his early books to the long sequences and operatic narratives of his last works, Levis’s poems have an unmistakable signature, a way of expressing the sweep of history, perception, and heartbreak. Over his career, his poetic lines broadened to accommodate the cinematic aperture of his observations on American empire, poverty, landscape, migrant workers, political violence, addiction, and art. Levis’s expansive poems came to resemble the interconnecting patterns just discernible in the eddies of a stream or the leaves circling in a wind.
Swirl & Vortex at last makes all of Levis’s poetry available in one definitive volume. This collection includes the five books published in Levis’s lifetime, a brilliant reconfiguration of Levis’s posthumous books, and unpublished late poems, edited and with an afterword by David St. John. To trace Levis’s poetic development into his extraordinary “late style of fire”–cut short by his early death–is one of the singular experiences in contemporary poetry. Swirl & Vortex is an essential collection by one of the great poets of the end of the twentieth century, and a transformative work spiraling out toward our future.

Excitement Rating
[Average Rating: 5]

Genre: Poetry

Larry Levis

More books from Larry Levis

For book clubs & dedicated readers


Book club reading journal for tracking discussions and releases

Track your reading and discussions

If you’re following upcoming releases or reading along with a book club, this Book Club Journal helps you keep notes, track discussions, and plan what to read next.

View the Book Club Journal on Amazon

Recommended Book Release Guides
Excitement Rating
[Average Rating: 5]

Similar Books Liked By Our Readers