Crystals of the Unforeseen [Paperback]

Lyn Coffin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 1999

An award-winning writer of poetry, prose and drama, Lyn Coffin probes the depths of the heart in this collection of recent work. The book includes a one-act play, a group of stories, and a section of her poems. At home in any genre, Coffin is an impeccable wordsmith who dares to linger below the surface of things with sardonic wit and passion. As the title indicates, the unforeseen is the operative villain hereand this book is the soul's journey to overcome the sting of that which cannot be controlled. The reader is rewarded with the surprise of truth that grows organically from the struggles of these characters. Margo LaGattuta, Poet, Embracing the Fall, Workshop Facilitator, Radio Host

Editorial Reviews

Review

Lyn Coffin is a renaissance woman: her remarkable energies and genius enable her to excel in both poetry and fiction. The poets flexible and versatile use of form shows a knowledge of prosody so highly developed as to appear effortless, while the ideas allow a window into a brilliant and inventive mind. In reading her work, I am continually astounded at the veracity with which she pursues her demons and delights. My own world view is enlivened and enriched by such integrity. Ms. Coffins fiction shows further evidence of an original and delightful intelligence. Her lively and memorable characters speak as if they are possessed by forces slightly beyond their control, in voices brimming with wit, intelligence, cunning, and love. The structure of her stories unfolds with such grace that one forgets the skill it takes to produce such effortless architecture. -- Alice Fulton

She is unusually broad in her knowledge, and has obviously been reading everything in sight from the age of two. She has a responsible intelligence and she combines it with an active and exciting imagination. -- Donald Hall

Whats most enchanting . . . is the seemingly limitless fertility of invention were exposed to as the language spins out, briefly or at length . . . . Diversity is the name of Coffins game. Not only the permutations of story lines, but the proliferation of conventional verse forms: sestina, sonnet, and villanelle prominent among them. As in the fiction and plays, the kaleidoscope of voices holds us spellbound. -- Laurence Goldstein, Editor, Michigan Quarterly Review

About the Author

Lyn Coffin is an award-winning Michigan writer who has published two previous books of poetry: Human Trappings (Abattoir Editions) and The Poetry of Wickedness (Ithaca House); three books of translation from Russian and Czech: The Poetry of Anna Akhmatova (W.W. Norton), with an introduction by Joseph Brodsky; Jiri Ortens Elegies, which won first prize in the International Poetry Review Competition; and Jaroslav Seiferts The Plague Monument, which was used by the Nobel Prize Committee in granting Seifert his Nobel Prize.

Her poetry and fiction have been widely published in literary magazines and quarterlies, including Best American Short Stories, edited by Joyce Carol Oates. Her plays have been performed in many theaters, including the Attic Theater in Detroit, the Performance Network in Ann Arbor, and the Ann Arbor Civic Theater. An editor of the Michigan Quarterly Review, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan, winning Major Hopwood Awards in every category and an Academy of American Poets' Prize. She was part of a four-person team representing Ann Arbor at the 1998 National Poetry Slam in Austin, Texas. Lyn lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her daughter, Schuyler. She has two sons, Jan and Chris, and a new daughter-in-law, Angela.

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: Plain View Pr (April 26, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0911051643
• ISBN-13: 978-0911051643
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,196,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author Reviews Critic, July 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Crystals of the Unforeseen (Paperback)

I just discovered this book, so near and dear to my heart, listed at Amazon, and was interested in reviewing the one and only review. But, alas, the review was "only a mediocre" review. The reviewer "has a bland style" (whatever that is) and "the general concept made no sense." The reviewer's writing was also "non descriptive," and "the style could use a little work." arborweb has a review of Crystals by Keith Taylor that makes my idiosyncratic heart soar. I welcome critical reviews of any starrage, but this blunt thing I'll snap and fling it from my hand and stagger, weaponless, off into the desert.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars made no sense, June 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Crystals of the Unforeseen (Paperback)

only a mediocre book. she has a bland style and the general concept made no sense. her writing is also non descriptive. her style could use a little work.