Customer Reviews

Black Hollyhock, First Light

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Judyth Hill is a dynamic performer, writes smashing food reviews for the Santa Fe New Mexican, and, oh yes, composes (in my humble opinion) the best poetry in the Southern Rockies, and quite possibly North America. This collection ranges from idyllic celebrations of life, love, and the changing seasons, to thoughtful dissections of maturing relationships, to coping with the dangerous and the tragic: a bear at the bird feeder, her father's death, evacuating her beloved home threatened by a forest fire. The book looks terrific, too: the cover picture, typography, and layout are gorgeous. I enjoyed it thoroughly ... but I have one complaint. Ms. Hill needs a proofreader: I found several instances of "it's" that should have been "its," and misspellings (or typos), and I felt that these detracted from what was otherwise a thoroughly class act.

Pair a colorful dark flower cover painting reminiscent of Judy Chicago with striking free verse poems and you have Black Hollyhock, First Light, a unique collection filled with energy and description which stands out from the crowd When you are receptacle, you become mule's ears/in the rooted community. As in/aspens, a shudder and hiss,/the gray blue ceiling of flicer above/and beneath, cow parsnips umbrellizing over their leaves. Gorgeous and ripe, moving and unforgettable - highly recommended.