A Pick of the Month by Small Press Review in their January-February 2007 issue.
Listed as one of three "Best New Poetry Collections by Lawyers in 2006" by James R. Elkins.
Small Press Review: "A collector's item, printed in a beautiful, limited edition of 200 copies, with a cover designed by Kseniya Thomas...Rumors of Electricity is pure exoticism."
Bathtub Gin: "In the locales depicted in Richard Krech’s Rumors of Electricity, '...the time goes slowly here. / each shop you must stop / & drink tea.' An apt image for this collection of seventeen short poems, which may be few of words, but expansive in their descriptive power. A snapshot poetics in which the collection serves as a view into different cultures and climates, the poems are the remains of travels, like a scrapbook of words. ... Active in the poetry scene (and beyond) of 1960s Berkeley, Krech took a nearly 30 year hiatus from poetry until just a few years ago. His recent work, including Rumors, shows a poet with a maturity of voice, but with the same intensity of language one sees in younger poets. In addition, the design of the book, from the letterpress cover to the effective use of white space on each page, complements the simple and elegant poetry within. In reviewing a book, I try to balance praise and suggestions for improvement. With Krech's Rumors, I am hard-pressed to do the latter and simply say this is a book to definitely add to your collection."
Hugh Fox: "First off, the whole quality of the printing/set of the book itself is astronomical. ... I've known Krech for almost forty years and I've never read a bad line in his work. Here in Rumors of Electricity he is the perfect guide into cultures and worlds that have been totally distorted by recent political events."
Blind Man's Rainbow: "...the poems inside are certainly something new for those of us who read poetry regularly. The collection has a fresh feel for that reason, complimenting its classy layout."
