Journey: New And Selected Poems 1969-1999 (Pitt Poetry Series) [Paperback]

Kathleen Norris (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"God is at work/ in us, close/ to the bone" writes Norris, a poet perhaps best known for her three prose works (Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, 1993; The Cloister Walk, 1996; and Amazing Grace, 1998). These volumes found their inspiration in the spiritual renewal experienced by Norris through farm life, ministry to a small Midwestern church community, and extended retreats in a Benedictine monastery. Now she has brought together a well-rounded collection of her poetry spanning 30 years. Here are poems, arranged chronologically in four sections each beginning with a verse from the Song of Solomon, that tenderly describe an event or scene, examine it, and conclude with a flash of seemingly unrelated insight, leaving profound questions in the reader's heart: "Now the new mother, that leaky vessel,/ begins to nurse her child,/ beginning the long goodbye." Carrying her readers along on her deeply Christian journey, Norris avoids spiritual certainty and preachiness, remaining ever the seeker. Her poems are lyrical, accessible, and hauntingly touching to read and to reread. Highly recommended. Judy Clarence, California State Univ. Lib., Hayward
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

How fitting it is that this well-constructed collection of Norris' witty and graceful poetry arrives just after her memoir about becoming a poet, The Virgin of Bennington [BKL F 1 01]. Her poems provide the lyrics to the chorus of her prose, illuminating the mystical aspects of her feelings about her Dakota heritage and her gradual discovery and embrace of a religious life. Norris is supple and inventive, neatly making the leap from such homey images as a closet filled with a tumble of shoes to the magical and the divine, such as an angel waiting for morning. She offers lovely musings, such as, "I would like to be as mobile as my mind," turns frankly sensual, and writes of her family with quiet but deep-running emotion. This volume tracks her convoluted journey back to traditional Christianity, but Norris never loses touch with more free-floating spirituality: the timeless and nondenominational gospel of sun, birds, a bee at a flower, a baby at a breast. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press; 1 edition (March 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822957612
• ISBN-13: 978-0822957614
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #823,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathleen Norris is the award-winning poet, writer, and author of the New York Times bestsellers The Cloister Walk, Amazing Grace, and Dakota: A Spiritual Geography. An oblate of Assumption Abbey, Norris divides her time between Hawaii and South Dakota.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a collection of KN's new and selected poems, March 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Journey: New And Selected Poems 1969-1999 (Pitt Poetry Series) (Paperback)

Had a collection of Kathleen Norris's poetry come out a few years ago, I would have bought it, and never had the pleasure of searching for and finding her earlier, out-of-print books. For those less motivated to hunt for Falling Off, The Middle of the World, The Year of Common Things, and Astronomy of Love, this is perfect buy as it includes most of the poems in those collections as well as poems from her more recent book of poems, Little Girls in Church.

The cover art isn't especially beautiful (surprising since it is a University of Pitt Press book) and the title is a bit weak, but let neither of these things discourage you from purchasing the book. If you're a fan of any of KN's work (non-fiction or poetry), you'll want this collection. If you're a ardent reader of contemporary poetry, you'll want this collection. If you'd never read poetry beyond high school, you'll want to open this book, as it will surely make you hungry for more poetry.

Like her instructions to angels in her poem "Excerpts from the Angel Handbook," she is always asking us to be open and wary, skeptical and believing, and dreaming and restless. Her poems implore us to be better than we are, to listen more closely to the music in our head, and to watch out for and care for the lonely traveler, the needy neighbor, the lost among us, and the loving.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible and Often Nostalgic, July 13, 2004

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Journey: New And Selected Poems 1969-1999 (Pitt Poetry Series) (Paperback)

Now I see so clearly on the days
when rain turns to snow
wind passes quickly
along the surfaces of things,
how calmly it probes this chilly place
where I have moved
with everything I own.

~ from Evaporation poem 3

While reading Kathleen Norris' poems, I cannot help feeling nostalgic for a life I've never lived. Then, suddenly she writes about a part of a life I have lived and I can somehow relate to both situations.

I started to read this book months ago, and then finally decided to read three poetry books all in a row. I am impressed with Kathleen's poems because they take many forms and express a wide range of emotions. She is the ever-observant poet who can remember the exact details of her experiences, right down to the exact wording of various conversations.

"Excerpts from the Angel Handbook" threw me into an instant state of amusement. In this poem angels are instructed in such important principles as hiding their wings or listening and never telling a lie.

You will never tell a lie,
but you will have many secrets.

In fact, the poem amused me so much... I am going to send it to a friend who claims he is an angel. I'm amused.

Then, onward to the erotic musings in "The Dancers." In this poem, a preacher's daughter reveals her thoughts about a farmer boy.

Through reading Kathleen's poetry, you enter her inner world and peer out through her words, observing the sheer magnificence of a world in which a poet dances.

The first few poems( 1969-1973) seem to have a coolness in their observation. By the time you reach "Inheritance" on page 31, you can feel Kathleen starting to really delve into her deeper emotions.

The poems from 1982-1986 are filled with surprises. Anyone who loves to cook will enjoy the exuberant "Pommes de Terre." If you are looking for something a little more innocently erotic, you might enjoy "Young Lovers with Pizza."

By the time you reach the poems from 1987-1999, you have seen Kathleen explore so many emotions and worlds. She seems to be returning to deeply rooted traditions. She says goodbye to those she loves, she seems to be searching for meaning and then finally seems to find a place for God in her life.

I also loved the last poem and especially the last six lines about the bumblebee.

~The Rebecca Review