As has become the tradition at Rattle.com, the first week of the new year is Pushcart Week. Each poem added to the website this week will be one of our six Pushcart Prize nominees (on Jan. 5th we’ll still have our usual e-review). And since we seem to always give a Pushcart nomination to the winner of the Rattle Poetry Prize, January 1st has become the day to publish that poem online.

This year the winner was “Mahler in New York” by Joseph Fasano. Unless you’re a subscriber, this is your first chance to read, so check it out and leave a comment to let us know what you think.  I think I said before that this year we had more initial disagreement than we’ve had in the past, but when Alan read each of the three we were considering out-loud, the winner became obvious (and I might add slyly that it was my pick all along).  It’s definitely much more lyric than last year’s winner, the narrative “Barcelona”, and I think one of the more haunting poems I’ve read in a while.

Anyway, hope everyone’s had a happy New Year.  It’s been a great 2008; here’s to a finer2009er!  (Wow, that was cheesy.) Off to watch the Rose Bowl!