Field Notes on Language and Kinship

by Tyler Chadwick, Susan Krueger-Barber (Illustrations)

In Field Notes on Language and Kinship, Tyler Chadwick follows poetry wherever it leads him, from acts of analysis and interpretation to poetic inspiration, from remembering to deliberate living and becoming. The book records many of his encounters with poems and poets from his anthology, Fire in the Twenty-first Century Mormon Poets (El Cerrito, Peculiar Pages, 2011). These encounters took shape in various ways as he revisited Fire in the Pasture the many months after it was published. For example, an image from one of the anthology’s poems reminded him of a different poem he had read—so he wrote a response that makes a connection between them. Or a line from a poem recalled an experience from his personal life (or foretold one he would have)—and he captured the moment as a memoirist. Or a passage from a poem prompted him to explore the poem’s ideas in a larger context of thought—and he slipped into the role of an essayist. Or an excerpt from a poem inspired a poetic response—so he used the lines as a starting point to create his own poetry. In the process of sharing his encounters with Fire in the Pasture, Chadwick explains how he came to love poetry and why it continues to speak to him as a reader, a poet, and a human being. He also explores ways in which language, as an environment humans construct and inhabit together, can help us build or break down kinship bonds. Along the way, he reveals key moments from his as a Latter-day Saint missionary learning from New Zealand’s people and their social and natural environments; as a son, a grandson, a brother, a husband, and young father observing and interacting with his family members during everyday experiences; as a young scholar exploring the practices and probing the limits of his discipline; and as a lifelong Mormon deeply engaged by the theological and cultural promise of his religion. Through it all we learn how poems serve as his touchstones of remembering and of his efforts to live well. The eight artworks reproduced in Field Notes on Language and Kinship were created specially for the book by Susan Krueger-Barber, who was commissioned for the project by Glen Nelson of Mormon Artists Group. Krueger-Barber’s collages converse both with Chadwick’s narratives and with Fire in the Pasture, adding another level and genre of storytelling to each book. This is Mormon Artists Group's 24th project.

254 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2013

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate that Tyler allowed me to do this. It took a lot of trust on his part. I felt, as I read this book, how much of him went into it. I hope many people read it and ponder over it, though not all at once. This book takes time and breaks to digest and savor properly. Sort of like good chocolate. (Sorry for the obvious and banal comparison, but I am eight months pregnant and chocolate is very important to me.) I only give books on Amazon and Goodreads five stars if I consider them “life changing,” and this is one.

more detailed review on A Motley Vision: http://www.motleyvision.org/2013/revi...