Overview

"""The beauty of faith isn't so much about paradise as it is the absence before, the gap we must leap in order to land. In her meditative and profound book slight faith, Risa Denenberg plants her feet before the divide, wrestles with the angels of loss and doubt. 'There is nothing, ' Denenberg writes, 'on the other side for certainty to dine on.' Yet, there is so much in this book that nourishes. 'These are days of awe, ' she writes and while reading these poems I too am opened up to a sense of fear and wonder. These poems speak to the sacred within and outside of us. There is death and pain but inevitably there is 'the slipperiness of hope.' There is an almost reluctant acceptance of pleasure. 'I've grown passably / fond of rain, ' she says and I can't help but smile as she tries for something 'more pastoral.' Despite the scope of Denenberg's poetry, which spans generations and religions and loves, her talent for restraint offers the subtle power and influence of a musical score. It is a difficult and fine balance to strike. Although she may write from and for the perspective of those who only praise or lament, she recognizes the very different silences that come after. We are given invaluable moments of introspection. Tightly crafted, wise with a quietly passionate heart, slight faith will make a reader leap and marvel."" --Michael Schmeltzer, author of Blood Song"

Full Product Details

9781936657353

Table of Contents

Reviews

slight faith is what we need in these extraordinary times and Risa Denenberg offers us this and more in her personal how-to manual for survival: 'train for comedy and calamity, ' she urges. From Babylon to New York City, these luminous poems travel via polished lines and prescient language. Yet, the voyage is never easy. The poet keeps vigil alongside the dying and the dead but these poems exist in service to the living. It's as if Denenberg has split open her life and scraped out the interior fruit. Judaism, Buddhism, yoga, and all night car rides-- the speaker scours each for answers. Across decades, families, and the names of trees, we experience 'this double helix called love.' This is a collection that I plan to return to, to read again the music of 'sozzle, ' 'trundle, ' and 'roil;' to revel in the alchemy of 'everyday clouds that amaze.' As a Jewish woman poet, I am especially excited to welcome this book into the world. --Susan Rich, author of Cloud Pharmacy slight faith is not an easy read, but one infused with intelligence, a questioning mind, a deep sadness that offers to the reader a kind of solace, an invitation to join hands with, together to appreciate the curves and stresses of life. There are glimpses of peace too, a respite in the meditative 'Fifty Breaths, ' a prescription for tranquility in 'How to Be Sad' ('May you hear the stillness between breakers'). My favorite poem, perhaps, is 'Famous'--a tour-de-force plummeting through a life, its long lines reflecting its rant-like tone and sweep, its power grabbing us, pulling us in. I admire the honesty and straightseeing- ness of Denenberg's journey, her courage to look deeply into the 'ordeal of living, ' to share boldly a world in which, Job-like, we find a mirror of ourselves. --Laura Foley, author of Night Ringing

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available