Rival Gardens
New and Selected Poems
Format:Paperback
Publisher:University of Nebraska Press
Published:1st Feb '16
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
In Rival Gardens, Connie Wanek reveals the beauty of poetry found in nature and everyday life, blending themes of family, growth, and loss throughout her work.
In Rival Gardens, Connie Wanek, a seasoned restorer of old homes, invites readers to discover the poetry that permeates everyday life. She reveals that poetry can be found in the waterways, landscapes, and harsh winters of Minnesota, as well as in the neglected corners of an uninhabited home. Through her keen observations, Wanek illustrates how the beauty of language can emerge from the most unexpected places, reminding us that art is all around us, waiting to be unearthed.
This collection features over thirty unpublished poems alongside selections from Wanek's previous works, showcasing her distinctive voice that blends plainspoken elegance with profound wisdom. Many poems delve into themes of gardening, beginning with the iconic Garden of Eden, and explore the intricate relationship between nature and human experience. Each piece reflects her deep appreciation for the natural world, emphasizing the delicate balance between growth and decay.
With a tone that resonates with familial love and the bittersweet nature of maturity, Rival Gardens captures the essence of life's journey. Wanek's attention to detail and her ability to weave the ordinary into the extraordinary make this collection a remarkable exploration of the human experience, inviting readers to find beauty in both the mundane and the sublime.
"Beautiful in every respect."—Tim Nolan, MN Artists
"An instant favorite of mine."—Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor
"Equal parts marvel and pang, Rival Gardens documents the grit, heart, and wisdom of an ecopoetic sage."—Plume Poetry
"Wanek’s imagery is consistently outstanding."—Edward A. Dougherty, Rain Taxi
"Readers who are already fans of Wanek will be overjoyed with Rival Gardens. For those who are new to Wanek, this is the perfect collection for wading into the full scope of her amazing poetry."—Andrew Nye, Corresponder
“Connie Wanek’s beautiful poems travel effortlessly among our various realms—the human, the natural, and the cosmic, inhabited by gods who may have some resemblance to ourselves. The light is wonderfully clear in these accounts, as is the darkness, each one illuminating the other.”—Charles Baxter, author of There’s Something I Want You to Do
“Connie Wanek is one of the best poets of our time, and this new book, Rival Gardens, certainly demonstrates that. These selections . . . are works of wit and subtlety, of clarity, great generosity, and precise vision that make this book a treasure to read again and again.”—Louis Jenkins, author of Before You Know It and Tin Flag
“In Wanek’s earth-proud, glorious work, all elements are in communication: a chimney offers ‘a plume of smoke hand-feeding the wind,’ a radish ‘bites you back,’ and a moose’s ‘grave eyes’ are ‘reminiscent somehow of Abe Lincoln.’ The first time I found her poems I phoned them to friends before making it past the library stairs. Rival Gardens offers a thrilling gift to anyone who loves metaphors, human beings, compassion, and the revelation of sly observation—I’m sending out a cosmic call: these lyric narratives bring you life through a consciousness you wish you had lived.”—Jessica Greenbaum, editor of upstreet and author of The Two Yvonnes
ISBN: 9780803269644
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
204 pages