Handspan of red earth: An anthology of American farm poems - Softcover

Marconi C L. [Editor]

9780877453253: Handspan of red earth: An anthology of American farm poems

Softcover

ISBN 10: 087745325X ISBN 13: 9780877453253

Publisher: University of Iowa Press, 1991

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Book by

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly:

Although one may at first question the aesthetic value of an anthology that brings together poems about the seemingly unprovocative theme of American farms, even a quick perusal of this remarkable collection should dispel any doubts about thepk project's worthiness. A passionate commitment to the subject of farm life is what makes these poems so engaging, so moving and so memorable. Among the most affecting are Donald Hall's "Maple Syrup," in which the speaker finds a 25-year-old can of syrup prepared by his grandfather, long since passed away, and marvels at "the sweetness preserved, of a dead man"; Ai's shocking "The Country Midwife: A Day," in which "the stink of birth" is an unavoidable aspect of a baby's delivery; Wendell Berry's "Prayers and Sayings of the Mad Farmer" ("When I fall / let me fall without regret / like a leaf"); and Roger Weingarten's "These Obituaries of Rattlesnakes Being Eaten by the Hogs," detailing the poet's observations of the routine of a country veterinarian. Other writers represented include James Dickey, Maxine Kumin, William Stafford and Galway Kinnell. Marconi is a poet and farmer.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

YA-- YAs sensitive to the connections of Americans to the soil will appreciate the 98 poems by poets who write of ``a soil subliminal and sublime,'' as Robert Morgan phrases it. Organized into four sections, the collection spans the geography of America from New Hampshire to California. The imagery of saphouses, root cellars, choke-cherry ledges, and poets standing in moonlight listening for lost foxes celebrates farm life. The varied voices of new as well as familiar poets will attract poetry lovers.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.