Sweetness Rising, A: New and Selected Poems

by Roberta Spear, Philip Levine (Editor)

The poems of a critically acclaimed, contemporary California poet The first retrospective of the life's work of Roberta Spear (1948-2003), A Sweetness Rising includes newly published work as well as poems from her previous volumes. Nationally acclaimed and admired by both readers and peers, she wrote poems that touch people by presenting daily life in unexpected ways. In the words of Philip Levine, ''You could say at times she saw stories where there were none or where she simply invented them, exotic stories of gypsies and pranksters, travelers and seekers...[Her] vision will continue to sing, moving and touching readers for as long as people care about American poetry.''

151 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's something very soothing and sensual about these poems. I like to read one right before I go to sleep. Most are one page-long, laid out in narrow, elegant, dense columns. You don't have to think too hard about them, but if you look more deeply into her craft, you see that what she's doing is actually quite skilled (especially in the music of her poems, which is understated and lovely.) Her voice is very free and feminine, and she allows herself to make up dream characters and scenarios. Still, sometimes things get a little too dreamy and you wish for more tension and drama.