This Wild Country by Dorothy Schlesselman

In her poem, “Gray Green Heart of a Wave”, poet Dorothy Schlesselman writes, “Beside this lake my wave-washed heart grows clear and smooth, vast and deep.” This poet looks for the “vast and deep” in her memories of early family life, in her poems which take such delight in beauty, and how beauty consoles and inspires us, in the meaning of her heart, in its weakness and strength, in hearts and all that we learn to notice and to love. This Wild Country is a good place to visit and linger, as we learn to see the world through Schlesselman’s fine poet eyes.

–Deborah Keenan, author of from Tiger to Prayer and so she had the world, and nine other collections.

Rating: ***** [5 of 5 Stars!]

This Wild Country takes us from everyday, unexamined life to a marvelous place where ordinary experiences shine with surprising beauty. The writing has a direct, deft style born from the poet’s commitment to exploration, honesty, and craft. Dorothy Schlesselman writes spare and essential poems that at the same time feel lush with images and feelings. She has an eye for the natural world of flowers, shrubs, birds, and the landscape of Lake Superior, which Schlesselman refers to as “this healing inland sea.” Although some poems concern challenge and loss, after reading the whole book, I felt (again borrowing this poet’s words) “held, loved, restored.”

–Margaret Hasse, author of Earth’s Appetite

Rating: ***** [5 of 5 Stars!]