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Grandmother Says

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J.D. Whitney is a poet of place, a man inhabiting the land by studying the wisdom of the first human inhabitants and the wisdom of the place and its non-human inhabitants. To learn, J.D. turns to Grandmother, who is, as Gary Snyder writes in his foreword to the book, "the playful spirit, life, energy of the organic world itself, an embodiment of multi-formed always-changing life." J.D. Whitney has written a masterpiece, and his poems are miracles of clarity, humor, and insight. His lines are expansive enough for adults and profound enough for children. If you crave a deep, satisfying look at the world, the natural world that contains and sustains us, the meteorological and mythic forces whose lines of force direct us, read these poems. If you want to know why ravens are black, what the northern lights really are, why fleas and ticks feast on humans, why geese honk, and how dogs find the patience to remain loyal to humans, read Grandmother Says because J.D. Whitney knows. He knows because Grandmother told him.

Each of the 84 poems begins with the word "Grandmother" in bold type on the top line as if the title; this is followed by verbs such as lets, trots, gives, sits, hears, teaches, sings, knows which set the tone for the respective poem. Then in a tone sometimes cranky, sometimes mischievous, sometimes empathetic, sometimes humbled--but never arrogant, supercilious, or preachy--the character Grandmother spins out an observation or remarks containing her wisdom gained from decades of involvement in relationships of all kinds and nearby nature. With Grandmother's unpredictable, idiosyncratic, yet unfailingly discerning appearances in the varied situations, she is like the trickster figure of Native American folk lore. She is pictured on the cover dressed something like a old Eskimo woman with hands on hips yelling out something. Whitney, with previously published books of poetry, lives in Wisconsin and teaches writing in Wisconsin colleges.

A faculty member of the University of Wisconsin and the College of the Menominee Nation, as well as the author of seven previous and well received collections of poetry, Grandmother Says is J. D. Whitney's latest anthology of original and memorable verse. The poems comprising Grandmother Says are each hallmarked by a buoyant, joyous, energetic, Native American style life-lesson qualities showcased in an especially quick-minded fashion. Grandmother says sometimes nothing./But/what/others say/she/says back to them/again/if/she likes it./Why Owl/ hears Echo Woman's/song/more/than people do./Why Wolf/does too.