Author Description

Still Singing collects work that follows an inaugural poetry book, The Song In the Room, which premiered the poetry of six women who bring to this art their various life experiences as teacher, lawyer, graphic artist, painter, musician, journalist. The Song In the Room is significant because it features first writings from a poetry group that wrote to become true “poetry practitioners.” There’s been so much productivity since Book One, so much excellent work. These six poets know the only way to make their art “work” is to work on their art, daily and weekly. These pages hold a portion of their accomplishments, and the results should be shared. Poets are activists. They set words on edge to see different sides; they are witnesses of the everyday, seeking moral clarity in their noticing. Poets learn to be unswervingly themselves because nothing else works. They find that what’s valuable in poetry is just what's valuable in life—a constant restoration of consciousness—living in “the finer air.” Each poem here is a temporary reality from a person who felt deeply and then discovered the right words. You’ll find in these pages that nature is honored, our humanity is upheld, introspection is treasured. Poets make emotional adjustments in every line, so the perishable is made permanent in the final product. It’s as if Time is happening in the poem. Then Time leaves its print upon the page. I am enchanted by the many senses held within each poem, and I value the way poetic form allows us to “stay in a moment.” We are made aware of suffering in poetry, some shade in the light, and there’s also joy and love. Those people who read poetry are incredibly lucky to be privy to the poet’s secret dreams, to be trusted with another’s inner being. Here are six women who’ve worked together for several years, who now give us private portholes into their lives—not to persuade, not to seek praise—but because that’s what poets do. That’s their job. <b