the best gift for the holidays is a calendar (no, not the barechested one)

calendar, originally uploaded by carbonator.

which also happens to be the best poetry anthology published in the last five years.

POETRY CALENDAR 2006: 365 Classic and Contemporary Poems by 300 Poets. selected by Shafiq Naz (Alhambra Publishing, Belgium)

poets included:

ALLEN • ALLMAN • ALVI • ANDERSON • ANDREWS • ARMITAGE • ARNOLD • BACON • BAGGOTT • BAKER • BALDWIN • BARNES • BASS • BATEMAN • FRANCIS BEAUMONT • JEANNE MARIE BEAUMONT • BECKMAN • BEHN • BELL • BERNSTEIN • BLAKE • ELY • BOLAND • BRADSTREET • BRIDGES • BRODY • BRONTÉ • BROOKE • BROUWER • ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING • ROBERT BROWNING • BRYANT • BURNS • BYER • BYRON • CAMPBELL • CAMPION • CARBO CAREW • CARRUTH • CHANG • CHAPPELL • CHAUCER • CLANCHY • CLARE • CLARK • CLEARY • CLOUGH • CLOVER COLEMAN • COLLIER ° BILLY COLLINS • MARTHA COLLINS • COMER • CONSTANTINE • COOLEY • CORDING • COULETTE • COWLEY • COWPER CRANE • CROOKER • DEBORAH CUMMINS • JAMES CUMMINS • DEFOE • DENHAM • DENNIS • DICKINSON • DINGS • DI PIERO • DONNE • DOTY • DOVE • DRAYCOTT • DUGDALE • DUHAMEL • DUHIG • DUNBAR • DUNN • DYBEK • EDGAR • EMERSON • EVERSON • FEIN • FELD • FELDMAN • FENNELLY • FERRY • FIELD • FINCH • FLATMAN • FORHAN • FRENEAU • FROST • FUNKHOUSER • GALVIN • GIBB • GIOIA • GIZZY • GOLDSMITH • GOOGE • GORHAM • GRAHAM • GREGER • GREVILLE • HADAS • HALL • HAMBY • HAMILL • HARDY • HARRISON • HASHMI • HAWKEY • HAXTON HAYDEN • HEFFERNAN • HENNESSY • EDWARD HERBERT • GEORGE HERBERT • HERNANDEZ • HERRICK • HICOK • HIRSCH • HIRSHFIELD • HIX HOAGLAND • HOLLANDER • HOLMES • HOOD • HOPKINS • HOWE • HOWELL • HUDGINS • HULME • HUNT • HUNTINGTON • JACKSON • JARMAN • JENKINS • JOHNSON • JONSON • KAPOVICH • KEATS • BRIGIT PEGEEN KELLY • ROBERT KELLY • KENNEDY • KHALVATI • KILMER • KIRBY • KIRCHWEY • KLEINZAHLER • KOESTENBAUM • KOETHE • KOOSER • KRYSL • KUMIN • LANDAU • LANDOR • LANIER • LAWRENCE • LEAR • LEHMAN • MARK LEVINE • PHILIP LEVINE • LIARDET • LINDSAY • LOCKWARD • LOGAN • LONGFELLOW • LOVELACE • AMY LOWELL • JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL • LUX • LYNCH • MARLOWE • MARVELL • MASTERSON • MAZER • MAZUR • McCLATCHY • McHUGH • MEHIGAN • MELVILLE • MEREDITH • MERRILL • MEZEY • MILTON • MINHINNICK • MOORE • MORGAN • MORRIS • MOTION • MUENCH • MULDOON • MUSKE-DUKES • NEZHUKUMATATHIL • NIKOLAYEV • NOBLES • NORDHAUS • NORTHROP • NYE • O’BRIEN • ORLEANS • OSTRIKER • OWEN • PADEL • PARMENTER • PASTAN • PATMORE • PEACOCK • PETIT • PHILIPS • PHILLIPS • PINSKY • PLUMLY • POE • POLLIFT • ALEXANDER POPE • JACQUELYN POPE • POWELL • PRIOR • QUARLES • RAAB • RALEGH • RAZA • REDDY • REKDAL • RICH • RICHARDSON • RILEY • RIORDAN • ROBERTS • ROHRER • ROLLINSON • ROSENBERG • CHRISTINA ROSSETTI • DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI • RYAN • SAGE • ST. JOHN • SAMPSON • SCHULMAN • SCHWARTZ • SCOTT • SEEGER • SEWELL • SHAKESPEARE • SHAPIRO • SHARE • SHELLEY • SHEPHERD • SHIELDS • SHIPLEY • SHIRLEY • SIDNEY • SIKELIANOS • SIMIC • SKELTON • SKINNER • SKLAREW • SKOYLES • SLEIGH • SMITH • SNODGRASS • SNYDER • SOUTHEY • SOUTHWELL • SPAHR • SPICER • SPIRES • SPRACKLAND • STANLEY • STATON • STICKNEY • STRAND • SUÁREZ • SWEENEY • SWIFT • SWINBURNE • SZIRTES • TATE • TAYLOR • TEASDALE • TENNYSON • THOMAS • TRAHERNE • TWICHELL • VAUGHAN • VIOLI • WACHTEL • WAGONER • WALLER • WARREN • WATERS • WATTS • WHITMAN • WICKS • WIER • WILDE • C. K. WILLIAMS • MILLER • WILLIAMS • JOHN HARTLEY WILLIAMS • WILMOT • WILNER • WIMAN • WOLOCH • WORDSWORTH • WORMSER • WOTTON • WRIGLEY • WYATT • WYLIE • YAU • YENSER • EDWARD YOUNG • GARY YOUNG • ZAPRUDER

A trully amazing feat of diversity and quality of poems and poets. The most astute anthologist of American and English poetry is an Arab and lives in Belgium!