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LEARNING BY HEART

Edited by Maggie Anderson and David Hassler

University of Iowa Press, 228 pages, $13 paper

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Mother Goose meets the Beats in this lively collection of contemporary poetry about school. Reflections on flashcards and yearbooks soon give way to memories of truancy, junior high dances and sex education. Some of the poems’ titles indicate the range of tones, such as “Gratitude to Old Teachers” and “When Your Father Is Also Your Wrestling Coach.”