The National Book Critics Circle has just announced the five finalists for their award citing the best book of poetry published in 2006, along with an entertaining and quite detailed account by Rebecca Miller, an NBCC Board member, of how the award winners are chosen: “It can be feisty. It’s likely to be fascinating. It’s a lot of work. It’s all about committees....” Most of this year’s finalists are outsider poets, not ladder-climbers in the publishing mainstream -- a welcome anomaly in the world of poetry awards. We’ve compiled a list of the finalists with brief descriptions and shopping links for our readers who wish to read all five and choose their own favorite, or who are simply looking to discover a new poet recommended by U.S. book reviewers.