John Lehman set a monumental task for himself in writing America's Greatest Unknown Poet. How best to make known a largely unknown poet whose work is no less challenging and enigmatic than her hardscrabble Midwestern life? By combining the voices of those who knew Niedecker during her lifetime with her most memorable poems, excerpts from her letters and his own close reading of her poetry, Lehman succeeds miraculously in resurrecting the heart and soul of an unjustly neglected literary artist.
                — Bob Wake, Editor, Cambridge Book Review