This month for Poetry 365 we’re featuring the lyrical debut of Rowan Ricardo Phillips. In The Ground, the Stony Brook University professor meditates on both the beautiful and ugly of post-9/11 New York City in 44 poems of “fiery intelligence and inescapable music.” Reminiscent of the work of Derek Walcott, Wallace Stevens, and Rita Dove, Phillips’ poems are infused with the flavor of his West Indies’ roots and showcase an original voice that is at once timeless and contemporary. So check out this masterful new collection, sample a poem below, and make sure to stop back next month for Poetry 365.