Roots and Flowers: Poets Write About Their Families [Hardcover]

Liz Rosenberg (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001

Roots and Flowers reveals heartfelt truths about poets and their families.

"How Quickly, How EarlyThe fourth grader, his puffy down jacketblood-red as any cardinal,flies lightly up the path to school, skiddingwhen he gets to the open door.

Then, looking strangely like his father heading in to work,he stops; shoves back his hood,braces his shouldersfor the day, and trudges forward.
How quickly, how early such lessons begin. "
--Liz Rosenberg

This companion to The Invisible Ladder, Liz Rosenberg's award-winning poetry anthology that deals with poets and their childhoods, explores the bonds between poets and their families. Framed by the poets' photos and statements about their families, here is an exploration of giving birth, raising a child, seeing a parent age and pass away. Poets such as Stanley Kunitz, Robert Bly, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Linda Pastan offer readers not only poems of startling beauty, but also a unique entry into the sources of their art.

Roots and Flowers is the perfect gift for a family that shares poetry, for fans of the many poets in this book, and for young writers whose own emotional life centers on their families. Liz Rosenberg's deep connection with the poetry community allowed her to get the personal and revealing contributions from the authors in this book. And the book is permeated with intimacy and celebration.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In another title that takes its inspiration from the family tree, Roots & Flowers: Poets and Poems on Family, ed. by Liz Rosenberg, 40 poets make a statement about family, followed by one to three poems. Perhaps the soul of the collection is best summed up by poet Stanley Kunitz, whose statement marvels at his mother's memory for detail, and whose poem, "My Mother's Pears," concludes (as mother and son plant a small pear tree beside the house she built), " `Make room for the roots!' my mother cries, `Dig the hole deeper.' "

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-A wonderful anthology from 40 contemporary poets (some famous, some lesser known), all touching somehow on the subject of family. As an added attraction, the poets have included a family snapshot and a brief note on their family and its effect on their poetry. The selections are well chosen, and the personal details in the notes may help to draw some readers more eagerly into the poems. The styles are diverse, and the poems vary in length from Naomi Shihab Nye's seven-line "How Far Is It to the Land We Left?" to the six pages of Stanley Kunitz's "Journal for My Daughter." Some are humorous, some confrontational, many are soothing, and at least one includes street language. This is a great picture of what's going on in contemporary American poetry.-Herman Sutter, Saint Agnes Academy, Houston, TX

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805064338
• ISBN-13: 978-0805064339
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,654,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)