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Inside the Invisible
A book of poems by Daniel Simpson, winner if the first Propel Poetry Prize (2022).Praise for Inside the
Daniel Simpson's excellent Inside the Invisible goes in and out of surprising places and makes matter-of-fact claims about love and loss feel like authentic discoveries. Having worked with him in the past, and thinking I had advance knowledge about what territory his new book was likelyto take on, I was pleased that several poems dealt with his guide dog and established the speaker of them as a blind man, often vulnerable and humorous. But it was the unforeseen that pleased and surprised me a complicated father, an unsuccessful first marriage, and wonderfully rendered scenes of flirtations and sex, and eventually of new love. Which is to say his book takes us inside the invisible to the lives most of us live.—Stephen Dunn
This is a book of faith. Of desire. Of a blind poet asking, “So how shall I live inside the invisible?” Simpson’s poems are threaded with Biblical allusion, philosophical musings, lovers, and guide dogs. With close attention to detail, the use of dialogue, and curiosity about the limits of communication, he interrogates life and chooses to embrace it again and “Marry me to the outside; / marry me to the inside. / Place my palms on the handlebars of the sun…” —Ellen Bass
Melding a sympathetic listener’s rich warmth with the zesty language of an equally sympathetic responder, Daniel Simpson creates the memorable poems of Inside the Invisible. Reading this beautifully calibrated book of poems as it unfolds from boyhood to maturity feels like sinking into a fresh bed after a long journey. Simpson’s rare talent makes each poem come home to the essential truth that existence is multilayered and contradictory. Candid, sharp, ranging in tone from sexy to spiritual, Simpson’s poems are always tuned to the sensuous pleasures of hearing. The wisdom of this poet gives back again and again in the bounty of the superb Inside the Invisible. — Molly Peacock
Daniel Simpson's excellent Inside the Invisible goes in and out of surprising places and makes matter-of-fact claims about love and loss feel like authentic discoveries. Having worked with him in the past, and thinking I had advance knowledge about what territory his new book was likelyto take on, I was pleased that several poems dealt with his guide dog and established the speaker of them as a blind man, often vulnerable and humorous. But it was the unforeseen that pleased and surprised me a complicated father, an unsuccessful first marriage, and wonderfully rendered scenes of flirtations and sex, and eventually of new love. Which is to say his book takes us inside the invisible to the lives most of us live.—Stephen Dunn
This is a book of faith. Of desire. Of a blind poet asking, “So how shall I live inside the invisible?” Simpson’s poems are threaded with Biblical allusion, philosophical musings, lovers, and guide dogs. With close attention to detail, the use of dialogue, and curiosity about the limits of communication, he interrogates life and chooses to embrace it again and “Marry me to the outside; / marry me to the inside. / Place my palms on the handlebars of the sun…” —Ellen Bass
Melding a sympathetic listener’s rich warmth with the zesty language of an equally sympathetic responder, Daniel Simpson creates the memorable poems of Inside the Invisible. Reading this beautifully calibrated book of poems as it unfolds from boyhood to maturity feels like sinking into a fresh bed after a long journey. Simpson’s rare talent makes each poem come home to the essential truth that existence is multilayered and contradictory. Candid, sharp, ranging in tone from sexy to spiritual, Simpson’s poems are always tuned to the sensuous pleasures of hearing. The wisdom of this poet gives back again and again in the bounty of the superb Inside the Invisible. — Molly Peacock
99 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 11, 2022
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About the author
Daniel Simpson
54 books2 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 11, 2023
Beautiful poems! Lyrical, introspective, open-hearted. Not to be missed!
Displaying 1 of 1 review