Four poets, four voices. "4 Against the Wall" is a collection of poems from four poets living in Lansing, Michigan, but their voices speak well past the city boundaries. Their work, both together and separately, spans several decades in a city that is simultaneously factory town, university town, state capitol-and, over the years, both a hothouse and sanctuary for poetry.

This unique collection showcases not only the recent work of Zachary Chartkoff, Sam Mills, Robert Rentschler and Ruelaine Stokes, but also a spirited round table discussion of the state of poetry-and oft-times remarkable...