Another Morning: Poems by William Minor embodies a premise stated in the first line of one of the poems: "All our lives begin and end / with music." Several poems address this theme directly ("Genesis," in which the line quoted is found; "Our Dance"; "Full of It," with its song titles; and the extended poem in five parts: "The Sounds of Kauai"). All of the poems contain their own unique music in terms of rhythm and intonation--providing an engaging, and enhancing, backdrop. In 2011, I was "first grand prize winner" in a national essay contest, "What Music Means to Me," sponsored by RPMDA (Retail print Music Dealers Association). Several of the poems in Another Morning have actually been set to original music I employ when I give readings.
The appeal of music is universal, and these poems reach out to a wide range of readers in another way: they all express aspects of daily life common to both the author and the book's potential audience: the sense of shared existence we all experience in homes in which each room comes to be regarded as sacred. Specific subject matter ranges from fundamental human concerns: friendship, falling in love, longevity in marriage, aging, the decline of physical finesse to philosophical concerns: the nature of time passing, progress (perfecting and perishing); inner versus external existence, sacred and secular love, and contemplation (being a frog on a lily pad).
Extended poems celebrate inspirational thinkers such as poet Charles Peguy and philosopher Ernest Becker--and the author also takes the reader to a tropical island to explore the nature of paradise. I feel that the poems in Another Morning, transform and transcend subject matter and result in skillfully crafted work that will appeal to a wide range of readers and stand the test of time.
William Minor has published seven books of poetry: Pacific Grove: poems, drawings, woodcuts, prose; For Women Missing or Dead; Goat Pan; Natural Counterpoint (with Paul Oehler); Poet Santa Cruz: Number 4; Some Grand Dust; and Gypsy Wisdom: New & Selected Poems. He has also published three nonfiction books on music (most recently Jazz Journeys to Japan: The Heart Within) and two memoirs: The Inherited Heart and Going Solo: A Memoir, 1953-1958. Having played jazz piano professionally since the age of sixteen, he was commissioned to write a spoken word suite (Love Letters of Lynchburg), and has also set his own poems to original music. Recent YouTube videos (with original music-Bill on piano) include the title poem from the chapbook, Another Morning: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=epJ7eFylCoQ
