In Anthony Madrid's fourth book, WHATEVER'S FORBIDDEN THE WISE, the poet appraises this world "full of ancient things whose shapes and colors have changed," as his singular, unforgettable and voice resonates in ghazals, rubai, ditties, and "gnomic stanzas." A polymath and iconoclast, Madrid knows the names of the stars and turns their light into astonishing music.

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Anthony Madrid was born in 1968, raised in Maryland. He is the author of four full-length books of poetry: WHATEVER’S FORBIDDEN THE WISE (CANARIUM BOOKS 2023), I AM YOUR SLAVE NOW DO WHAT I SAY (Canarium Books, 2012), TRY NEVER (Canarium Books, 2017), and THERE WAS AN OLD MAN WITH A SPRINGBOK (Prelude Books, 2019). He lives in Victoria, Texas with Nadya Pittendrigh.