Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver, in addition to being a celebrated fiction writer, has just published a second volume of poems, “How to Fly (in Ten Thousand Easy Lessons).”
In this volume, Kingsolver offers diverse poems, reflecting on the practical, the spiritual, and the wild. The wryly pragmatic “how-to” poems address such projects as being married or divorced, shearing a sheep, praying to unreliable gods and flying.
Many of the new poems reflect Kingsolver’s background as a biologist, reflecting on humans’ kinship with flowers, ruthless ants and shellfish as well as the wisdom of trees.
From start to finish, these poignant meditations trace the complex ties that bind us to each other, and to the untamed world beyond ourselves.
Kingsolver’s books of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction are widely translated and have won numerous literary awards. She is the founder of the PEN-Bellwether Prize, and in 2000 she was awarded the National Humanities medal, the country’s highest honor for service though the arts.
The book is available from amazon.com and other booksellers. For more information about Kingsolver, visit www.barbarakingsolver.com
Sample of Poetry from Kingsolver's Book
HOW TO DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
Rent a house near the beach, or a cabin
but: Do not take your walking shoes.
Don’t take any clothes you’d wear
anyplace anyone would see you.
Don’t take your rechargeables
Take Scrabble if you have to,
but not a dictionary and no
pencils for keeping score.
Don’t take a cookbook
or anything to cook.
A fishing pole, ok
but not the line,
hook, sinker,
leave it all.
Find out
what’s
left.
Reprinted with permission from “How to Fly in Ten Thousand Easy Lessons"
