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Rating: 
Summary: A Fine Selection
Review: Robert Bly offers a fine collection of William Stafford's work. Bly's affection and respect for Stafford shines in the introduction, which offers insights that will help many readers more fully access Stafford's work. For me, the poems themelves radiate the power and strength of gentleness and simplicity. As Stafford writes in "By a River in the Osage Country:" You don't need many words if you already know what you're talking about. The selection is rich with Staffords imaginal reflections on family, his children, his parents, and the simple mysteries of the world. These are poems of moral intelligence expressed with great integrity. This is what we mean when we say a person is "grounded." The volume concludes with the classic "A Ritual to Read to Each Other," a stirring affirmation of courage and authenticty - a thouchstone in an age of denial and fearful people lying to each other.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Selection
Review: Robert Bly offers a fine collection of William Stafford's work. Bly's affection and respect for Stafford shines in the introduction, which offers insights that will help many readers more fully access Stafford's work. For me, the poems themelves radiate the power and strength of gentleness and simplicity. As Stafford writes in "By a River in the Osage Country:" You don't need many words if you already know what you're talking about. The selection is rich with Staffords imaginal reflections on family, his children, his parents, and the simple mysteries of the world. These are poems of moral intelligence expressed with great integrity. This is what we mean when we say a person is "grounded." The volume concludes with the classic "A Ritual to Read to Each Other," a stirring affirmation of courage and authenticty - a thouchstone in an age of denial and fearful people lying to each other.
Rating: 
Summary: Poems of Amazing Human being
Review: There is a reason why William Stafford is on almost every graduate writing program's reading list. Not only did he write what is considered to be the best poem written in the second half of the 20th Century, his entire body of work speaks of the human condition which immediately draws in the reader.Not having the honor of meeting William Stafford in person, I have to settle for reading his poems and listening to the stories about him, told by those who did know him. This leads to the one fault I can find with this book, for the poetry within is so complete, so warm. Unfortunately my one complaint is quite serious. My only disappointment in this book is the quality of the paper used. The paper feels and looks like cheap pulp---which would suggest that the publishers don't have the same care of William Stafford's poetry that most readers do. Unfortunately, we readers are caught in a hard place. Many of his books are out of print and we are limited to collections such as these. My advice is to seek out some of the original editions. I give the poetry Five stars, but I have to give the book itself a three because of the production values
Rating:
Summary: Poems of Amazing Human being
Review: There is a reason why William Stafford is on almost every graduate writing program's reading list. Not only did he write what is considered to be the best poem written in the second half of the 20th Century, his entire body of work speaks of the human condition which immediately draws in the reader. Not having the honor of meeting William Stafford in person, I have to settle for reading his poems and listening to the stories about him, told by those who did know him. This leads to the one fault I can find with this book, for the poetry within is so complete, so warm. Unfortunately my one complaint is quite serious. My only disappointment in this book is the quality of the paper used. The paper feels and looks like cheap pulp---which would suggest that the publishers don't have the same care of William Stafford's poetry that most readers do. Unfortunately, we readers are caught in a hard place. Many of his books are out of print and we are limited to collections such as these. My advice is to seek out some of the original editions. I give the poetry Five stars, but I have to give the book itself a three because of the production values
Rating: 
Summary: Traveling Through the Dark
Review: Traveling Through the Dark is one of my all time favorite poems. I first read it when I was a freshman in high school and have admired it ever since. This is not to say that this is the only decent poem he wrote. All his poems are very good. If you are looking for some new poetry, read William Stafford.
Rating:
Summary: Traveling Through the Dark
Review: Traveling Through the Dark is one of my all time favorite poems. I first read it when I was a freshman in high school and have admired it ever since. This is not to say that this is the only decent poem he wrote. All his poems are very good. If you are looking for some new poetry, read William Stafford.
Rating:
Summary: Stafford: an inspiration and guide
Review: William Stafford described his method of writing poetry as starting from any experience or thought and following it towards what is real. Listening to his poems, one feels one is being shown how to listen to oneself and to the world. Robert Bly did a nice job of organizing the poems. There is a great video that complements this book: "William Stafford and Robert Bly: A Literary Friendship." I highly recommend this book, though I think it may be changing my life. Risk it if you dare! Another Amazon.com reviewer of this book complained about the quality of the paper on which it was published. I had the opposite complaint about our country's largest environmental groups, who send their members slick, environmentally-destructive magazines--as though caring about the environment is an attitude that can be divorced from action. I am guessing that Stafford chose to have his books published in a manner that had the least impact on the environment. It would be nice to have Stafford's entire collection reprinted on acid-free paper, but I have no complaints about the physical condition of _The Darkness Around Us Is Deep_.
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