the Homelessness of Self - Softcover

Terris, Susan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0972538410 ISBN 13: 9780972538411

Publisher: Arctos Press, 2011

Synopsis

Poetry. "'Sometimes safety is unbearable,' declares one of these sharp, and sharpened poems--it's a theme that informs the whole collection, as its many voices, all equally sure, equally exacting and precise, take stock of the real situation of the women Terris sees around her. In her intimate social examination, Terris also does something entirely new with the confessional poem, opening it to previously unexplored territory with her vivid, idiosyncratic language and hauntingly honest imagery. The whole is eye-opening and refreshingly frank"--Cole Swensen.

About this title

About the Author:

Susan Terris was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She has a B.A. degree in English literature from Wellesley College and an M.A. from San Francisco State University. Ms.Terris has written poetry since she was an undergraduate in classes being taught by Richard Wilbur, David Ferry, and Philip Booth. Her writing career, however, began in the field of children's fiction. She had 21 books published by New York houses such as Doubleday, Macmillan, Scholastic, and Farrar, Straus & Giroux. During the same period, she also wrote poetry and had poems published from time to time. About 20 years ago, Ms.Terris began to find herself consumed by the writing of poetry. Since then she's written and published only poetry.

Review:

This whole book is composed of economic lines that contain more than seems possible, given their deceptive simplicity and plain diction...Terris has a lovely ear...She exhibits an admirable sense of control and restraint, even as she expresses a great feeling of yearning and even anxiety... she displays philosophical tendencies that move us beyond narrow personal stories...A poem in the final pages of the collection is titled, In Our Universe These Things I Know Are True. Here s what I know to be true: Terris is a gifted poet and this is a lovely book. Sima Rabinowitz --NewPages.Com

Susan Terris sixth book of poetry, The Homelessness of Self, takes readers deep within the mental landscape of rootlessness. Her lyrical poems obsessively capture being unmoored, in that the poet never touches down long enough for readers to feel comfortable in a single place or even a moment. Instead, Terris sweeps through the spaces of the mind collecting and connecting everything of importance, and packing a wild bag of departure. Throughout this collection, Terris delights readers with stunning images at every turn, most of which focus on nature... Additionally, the poet s eye is accompanied by an exceptional ear, offering language that, through sound, comes alive on the page... The leaps between the literal and figurative keep readers happily guessing about what will happen on the next line. The author also succeeds in making razor-sharp observations about life that stop time and take the wind out of her and our journeying sails...There is everything gutsy in both her vision and her tongue. Susan Terris s poems startle and sing as they range natural and emotional landscapes large and small. Fans of lyrical poetry will be most taken by this collection, although all readers will be impressed with her arresting images, language, and insight. (January 2011) Jennifer Fandel --Foreword Reviews

Susan Terris teases out the terror of the everyday, the elegies for all our lost selves. And yet, in their immense range and variety, their wildness and dangerousness, these poems are finally suffused with poignancy and compassion. Susan Terris is a true original, a remarkable, remarkable poet. --Ronald Wallace

About this edition

• Publisher: Arctos Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0972538410
• ISBN 13: 9780972538411
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96