My Town

by David Lee

Winner, 1995 Western States Book Award. Peopled with some of the most authentically drawn characterizations of rural life since Mark Twain, Lee's is a small town universe--"an aural agrarian saga,"--is filled with hilarity, love, labor, tragicomedy, and compassionate wisdom.¶"It's a speech full of eloquence, pathos, and humor, full of music, full of good sense. I could read it all week."--Hayden Carruth

Genres: Poetry

132 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

About the author

David Lee is the author of more than fifteen books of poetry including So Quietly the Earth, published by Copper Canyon Press in 2004. In 1997 he was named Utah s first Poet Laureate and has received the Utah Governor s award for lifetime achievement in the arts. A former seminary candidate, semi-pro baseball player, and hog farmer, he has a Ph.D. with a concentration in the poetry of John Milton. He taught in the Department of Language and Literature at Southern Utah University for three decades, where he received every teaching award presented, including teacher of the year three times.

Reviews

[Nancy Lewis]

I wouldn't call these poetry. They're just silly stories written as run-on sentences with a line break every five or six words so they make the shape of poems.

[Brandon]

This was a book that I found in a used book store and the subject matter and the down-to-earth approach to poetry intrigued me. The stories are part amusing and playful. I surprisingly found myself laughing out loud in parts. But it is equally personal and touching. If you're from a small town you can relate to the characters and their style of speech. That said, it can take some effort to read these. In some ways, it much more suitable for being read orally.

[Kate]

This is my kind of poetry -- storytelling that lets the reader find their own moral. The characters help you to love others more easily, since they are all flawed but finally get a chance to explain why they do what they do.

[Stephanie]

David Lee is such a rich writer. This collection narrates the truth of every town I ever lost myself in.