It's not all sports and rock in this town, no siree. From Bottom Dog Press, publisher of last year's book on the Cleveland godfather poet d.a. levy, comes this compendium of local poetic people in their native habitats. For in the editors' estimation, poetry does not merely exist on the page. Larry Smith notes in his introduction, "Characterized by its diversity, its openness, and its engaged and accessible stance, Cleveland poetry scenes testify to the vitality of the word."

This is a loving guidebook full of exultations: "There is no language genre like poetry — holy in its concise use of language and in the fact that it cannot be commercially screwed because there is not money in it," writes Mary E. Weems. Divided into three parts (like Gaul), Cleveland Poetry Scenes begins with a timeline that sets the milestones of Cleveland poetic history within the larger context of the world: In 1987 we had the reelection of Margaret Thatcher, Ohio native Rita Dove won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry, and Ohio Writer was launched by Mary and Susan Grimm. The meat of the book consists of essays and articles from both poets and those who love and support them, a selection being Suzanne DeGaetano of Mac's Backs Books, Daniel Gray-Kontar of the Black Poetic Society, Bree of Green Panda Press and the Free Times' very own Michael Gill. The final section is the poems themselves, stretching from Hart Crane and Langston Hughes to Terry Provost and Kisha Foster.

An insular sweetness suffuses the anthology. It's like listening to a group of college friends talk about the best parties of 20 years ago — luminous and golden and we all wish we had been there.

What strikes the reader is the mix of poetry within the everyday, from the mythic poetry and performances of Junkstock, a series that took place in an auto-wrecking yard on Pearl Road, to the decades of ongoing workshops held at independent bookstores like Mac's Backs and the Bookstore on West 25th Street. The poetry scene in Cleveland doesn't exist in the rarified air of the universities, although Cleveland State, Case and Kent have all been vital in fostering talent, publishing books and hosting the Big Names of Poetry. As presented here, Cleveland poetry is public; a voice of protest, performance and belligerence; fiercely independent yet connected, and with a firm sense of self. As Ray McNiece comments in his history of Cleveland Slam poetry, "We are walking in the footsteps of endless others."

This whole-lotta-love-fest is both admirable and filled with treacle. Its overarching fondness encompasses a great deal of work, some stronger than others. One can't help but wonder if the photo of Richard Howard — Cleveland native, long-time poetry editor of The Paris Review and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, PEN Translation Prize and American Book Award — was included because it shows Howard talking to the poet laureate of Cuyahoga County, Daniel Thompson. And according to its list of Cleveland area poets, there are no poets here whose last names begin with N, U or X.

Nonetheless, Cleveland Poetry Scenes presents an energetic and delightful collection of just that: Cleveland's poetry scenes, venues, print and electronic publishers, performers, institutions, coffeehouses, events and happenings that inspire and enrich one another. As Diane Kendig notes in her essay, "I have never known such a great company of writers living in close proximity, and I am grateful to have come of age as a poet in Cleveland."

Cleveland Poetry Scenes: A Panorama & Anthology, edited by Nina Freelander Gibans, Mary E. Weems and Larry Smith; 2008, Bottom Dog Press, 303 pages.