http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/saul_relative18/A review of books of poetry for suggested readinghourly12000-01-01T12:00+00:00http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/saul_relative18/503030Louisiana State University Press, 2006 Take, if you will, a segment out of the history of a given place. Imagine the people, their lives, their loves, their ambitions, their foibles, pains, sorrows, and triumphs. Put it in poetic form. Make it work. This would be -- and is -- a difficult task for...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/saul_relative18/498900Texas Review Press, 2004 There is a term for the collection of poems offered us by Eric Nelson -- comfortable. From the moment you open the book and read the first poem, "The Walk," you feel as if you're on familiar ground. It is sort of like a memory that you couldn't quite grasp but now, with...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/saul_relative18/493238We all know J. A. Jance as a writer of mystery thrillers. Most, even those who count themselves as her loyal readers, do not know that she has written poetry, not to mention published a book of poetry. But the poetry was written before she was published as an author. Her first book was a...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/saul_relative18/491209Some people write prose like poetry. One such author is Pat Conroy ( Prince of Tides, Beach Music, The Lords of Discipline ). And then there are those who write prose-like poetry. There is a huge difference. For one thing, the one that writes poetry has a helluva lot thinner book. Billy Collins...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/saul_relative18/490052I do not know what most people look for in a poem or in a book of poetry. I personally look for a clever turn of phrase, a provocative juxtapositioning of words or lines, a beautifully captured detail. In short, inspiration. I find inspiration in poetry. And Edward Hirsch's poetry filled me with...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/saul_relative18/367089Most people who know anything about the science fiction and fantasy genres recognize the name Ursula K. LeGuin without pause. A highly talented and respected author, she has received numerous awards for her endeavors and scored several bestsellers. Yet, if you are as I am, a newcomer to the world...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/saul_relative18/365285Who would have thought that the 39th president of the United States has a poetic side? Until recently, after reading his latest book, Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, I learned that he wrote poetry, so... And found that Mr. Carter's poetry has a certain vivid charm, a realism that...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/saul_relative18/270152Talk about a tiny book. It is so small. But it's comfortable, just like the poems in the interior. Comfortable. Like you've been there, experienced some of the writing. Nancy Willard writes with grace and style. Her images are clear. In the poem "Houses", she likens her parents to houses full of...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/saul_relative18/268624"By writing poetry, even those poems that fail and fail miserably, we honor and affirm life." -- Ted Kooser, Poet Laureate of the United States, The Poetry Home Repair Manualhttp://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/saul_relative18/260651Ted Kooser has presented the world with some great poetry over the years. His style is very informal, finding a heart-touching image in the most ordinary of things. In Delights & Shadows, his latest offering, Kooser has outdone himself -- he has been awarded the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry....