Susan Steger Welsh
1 Great narrative poems
This collection of narrative poems is a good, fun (if fast) read.
2 I'M SORRY BUT..............
I'M SORRY BUT THIS LITERARY WORK WAS ONE HUGE WASTE OF A HARD EARNED DOLLAR. WITH THE CURRENT STATE OF THE ECONOMY, I FEEL I COULD HAVE PERSONALLY SPENT MY MONEY ON BETTER THINGS LIKE SEA-MONKEYS OR SLURPEES.
ALTHOUGH I OFTEN ENJOY CURLING UP WITH GOOD PROSE AT THE END OF AN EVENING TO PUT ME TO SLEEP, THIS ONE REALLY PUT ME TO SLEEP.
I HAVE TO AGREE WITH DOUGLASS FROM HYDE PARK. I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS AUTHOR'S LAST WORK. IT WILL BE A BETTER DAY FOR THE WORLD.
3 Mean-spirited reviewers inspired me to buy this book!
I just had to see what all the fuss was about. A friend mentioned the book to me so I went to find it on Amazon and was amazed by the hubbub. The previous reviews of this book are so vicious, I can only imagine the reviewers have little to do or bear a grudge against this author. Amazing how powerful a slim volume can be, isn't it? This is a perfectly decent first book of poetry by an author who strikes me as totally sincere and working hard to illuminate through metaphor the more important "moments of being."
4 'Poetry' and 'Literature' used rather loosely...
I was, to say the least, disapointed by this volume. It was forwarded to my by a colleague, who is a fan of this authors work. I, however, found it to be yet another poorly written volume by a 'poet', another local favorite judging by the other reviews, with little or no actual literary skill selling a book to a select group of persons who buy it, and then rave about the contents, because they happen to be 'friends' of the author. Save your money, you can buy a lot of supermarket tabloids for this price, and they have far more compelling and interesting reading within their pages.
5 Steger-Welsh
Feelings of frustration are all I have for this text. I had the not so pleasant opportunity to listen to a public reading by Steger-Welsh which strongly affirmed my dislike for this aspiring poet. There may be promise for future writings, but this collection leaves much to be desired.
6 Check out this book from a 2001 MN Book Award Nominee
Rafting on the Water Table is a finely crafted, lovely, clear-thinking volume. "The wind has all the time in the world./ The sky goes on without you./ Do what the grasses do: keep thick/ your connections underground./ Then it's all right to give yourself over to fire./ You'll grow back from the base, surging/ from strong jolt of ash, grow into the wind/ headlong and blazing." (from "Prairie Meditations") These lines could have been written by James Wright. The reader comes away from this volume having learned something about experiencing the world. I look forward to future volumes from this poet.
7 Sub-standard scholarship, and marginal linguistic ability
Minnesota's great literary tradition, marked by greats such as Sinclair Lewis, has greatly been compromised by this slim volume. I had great expectations for this contemporary poet, but I was greatly disappointed. While Ms. Welsh's work may find a home among the less well-read, it is certainly side-lined by an assortment of current scholarly individuals who craft more profound prose. I keenly look forward to the appearance of her last work.
8 Poems for the middle of the night
This is a strong debut by a promising poet. From the first poem to the last, Steger Welsh maintains a provocative voice that both engages and challenges the reader to look at the ordinary world and its "rules" in a new way. Whether she is dissecting grammar vis-a-vis God ("Grammar in the Kingdom of God") or exploring her own loss and grief through the rhythms of the natural world ("Laws of Falling Things"), this writer combines keen wit and grace to create deftly realized poems. She is particularly attentive to the natural world around her, the weather and trees and birds of her neighborhood, and uses her observations to create surprising and sometimes heartbreaking metaphors for love, marriage, loss, death. This book is a comfort and a joy to read. In her poem "Rapid Eye Movement", a meditation on dreams and their relation to reality, the last lines read: "On these waves come bobbing/coded ransom notes from the soul,/messages smuggled back to the dreamer, who in the morning, disbelieves." These poems are like those smuggled messages--illuminating yet mysterious, yielding more and more upon each reading.
9 Welsh's Rare Bits
From the first poem ("In Defense of Semicolons") you realize you're in the presence of someone who's grounded in the same world you are but has perfected the art of flight. These are smart poems, often surprising, always human, and beautifully crafted without shoving their artistry in your face. Whether she's exploring the troubling wisdom of her children, the disappearance of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the demolition of a city landmark, Welsh's writing moves us, makes us laugh, unsettles us in the way the best poetry sometimes does.
10 Wide range of warmth and wit, delightful and deep
This prize-winning volume, Welsh's first publication of her fine poetry, rewards the reader greatly. It takes up everything from family relationships to scientific advances. Deft, artfully crafted, smooth-flowing--I loved it. If you want good contemporary poetry in your personal library, this book is for you.
11 A wonderful debut book for this author
I loved this book of poetry. The poems are written with flowing language and are emotional and humorus. You can feel the mood of the poems as you read them. I hope this author keeps writing wonderful poems, and publishes another book.
12 Vigorous, Perceptive, Intelligent
I enjoyed this collection very much. The writer brings new insight to familiar moments in everyday life, with language that's both accessible and layered. She describes moments of everyday joy in the context of their greater meaning, but her keen intellect prevents her from ever dipping into sentimentality. A vigorous, perceptive, intelligent voice. Highly recommended.
