In BJ Ward's Landing in New Jersey with Soft Hands, each poem is a journey filled with discovery as we travel roads of America and the heart, trusting always Ward's steady hand upon the wheel. The poems are richly diverse, from 'The Dying of the Light,' with its insistent pathos, or the wry premise of 'Shakespeare as a Waiter,' and the generous elegance of 'Dancing with the Teacher.' What unites this stunning debut is Ward's consistent depiction of a world filled with the anguish and promise of 'something here, something now' that sweet something that won't grasp you or be grasped.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"A new voice: welcome it. BJ Ward's, with a new idiom, new accents, new rhythms. Speaking to and for a new generation, the young people of the '90s. This is where it's at now, he says, his voice rising above the general academic cacophony, and he's right. Singing and squawking. It's beautiful to hear, encouraging to see."
-Hayden Carruth
"BJ Ward, in his engaging first book, shows us how irreverence and reverence can be happily housed together, and even may arise from the same source. There's wit in these poems, and a storyteller's gift for apt detail. It's a debut that promises many good things to come.
-Stephen Dunn
-Hayden Carruth
"BJ Ward, in his engaging first book, shows us how irreverence and reverence can be happily housed together, and even may arise from the same source. There's wit in these poems, and a storyteller's gift for apt detail. It's a debut that promises many good things to come.
-Stephen Dunn
About the Author
BJ Ward lives in Washington, New Jersey. He is also the author of 17 Love Poems with No Despair, published by North Atlantic Books in 1997. He is the recipient of a poetry fellowship from the New Jersey State Council for the Arts/Department of State.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ward is a poet of the most sensuous nature.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Landing in New Jersey with Soft Hands (Paperback)
I have had many pleasures knowing BJ Ward. He is a good friend of mine, and a colleague. His poetry is of the finest kind to read. It is dark, funny, loving and angry. The reader is invited into a comfortable room, though sparse, and is then treated to one of the most genuine voices we have in poetry, a voice that hides nothing but will not give up its secrets very easily. I find myself enjoying immensely the effort of trying to pry him open
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the finest first books I have ever read!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Landing in New Jersey with Soft Hands (Paperback)
I first encountered BJ Ward's poetry in the February issue of Poetry Magazine--an incredible poem called "The Star-Ledger." I ordered both his books based on the quality of that poem. I am so glad I did. I feel I've discovered a new world! He is writing with a voice that reminds me a little of the cavalierness of William Carlos Williams, the passion of Pablo Neruda, and the serious playfulness of Anne Sexton. I can't wait for his next book to be released.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
B.J. Ward can make you feel.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Landing in New Jersey with Soft Hands (Paperback)
I was able to have Mr. Ward as a teacher in a program at my school. After witnessing the charasmatic way he tought our class, I had to buy his book. (Landing in New Jersey with Soft Hand) I read his poetry sporadically and then one day I read, "Something You Haven't Found" and my life was forever changed by that poem. His poem became words to live by for me. I look forward to reading his other book and being touched all over again. If you are in need of a book that not only touches your soul, but enraptures it. This is the book.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
On the fading streets of my Alliance the girls with soccer balls cross puddles in their own little rivers of desperation-each one a teenager, each one inheriting the teen-age world. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
On the fading streets of my Alliance the girls with soccer balls cross puddles in their own little rivers of desperation-each one a teenager, each one inheriting the teen-age world. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
2
books
cite this book:
- 17 Love Poems with No Despair by BJ Ward in Front Matter, and page 37
- Gravedigger's Birthday: Poems by BJ Ward by BJ Ward in Front Matter
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