Some Heaven [Paperback]

Todd Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2007

Todd Davis writes poems that are spare yet eloquent, poems with an appealing simplicity that belies their insight and consequence. They are rooted in the firmament of nature's frequently bruised bounty, yet grounded by our all-too-human experiences on this planet, living on a land that we so often treat with contempt or blunder through blindly. With the eye of a naturalist and the heart- wisdom of a sage, Davis reveals scenes of our lives that we might have otherwise missed. His poems are like the best kind of snapshot; they show us the details that deserve more attention, from a five- year-old's joy in sitting on Dad’s lap and "driving" the family car or standing on a chair to help Mom make Jell-O, to the devastation of drought on farmland or the extraordinary lushness of an ordinary backyard. Because Davis holds up these prose-photos and urges us to take another look, we suddenly experience their profundity and comprehend their meaning. With disarming directness, he connects nature to family, landscape to community, and earth to faith.
     Some Heaven brings together more than 100 Davis poems. Most are concise; all are approachable. In fact, they pull readers in, stirring our senses, tickling our memories. Here are poems about Amish gardens, changing seasons, friends at school, tractors, and deer. Davis urges us to see—not to take a quick look, but to really see—frost on goldenrods, the qualities of dirt, the color of air. Underneath, of course, these are poems about universal themes: love, loss, life, death; but in Davis's skilled hands, they appear to us to be more akin to wild strawberries growing on a rock wall or apples discovered in an abandoned orchard: something fresh, unexpected, and thankfully welcomed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Some Heaven is a considerable book of poems. Many poets feel that they know the natural world, but Todd Davis has absorbed this world fully into his heart and mind. He is a fine, rare poet." -- --Jim Harrison, author of The Shape of the Journey: New and Collected Poems and The Woman Lit by Fireflies

Some Heaven is a book rich in compassion and tenderness. The poems, through which Todd Davis limns the life and growth of his family, have a quietly penetrating power that can take the reader by surprise and delight and make him, or her, all the better for the experience. They open clear windows into the natural world and irresistibly draw us through them. -- --Dan Gerber, author of Trying to Catch the Horses and A Last Bridge Home

From the Back Cover

Some Heaven is a considerable book of poems. Many poets feel that they know the natural world, but Todd Davis has absorbed this world fully into his heart and mind. He is a fine, rare poet. --Jim Harrison, author of The Shape of the Journey: New and Collected Poems and The Woman Lit by Fireflies

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 133 pages
• Publisher: Michigan State University Press (January 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870138006
• ISBN-13: 978-0870138003
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 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: #2,202,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Todd Davis, winner of the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Prize, teaches creative writing, environmental studies, and American literature at Penn State University's Altoona College. He is the author of three books of poetry--The Least of These, Some Heaven, and Ripe--and co-editor of Making Poems: 40 Poems with Commentary by the Poets. His poems have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and have appeared in such journals and magazines as The North American Review, The Iowa Review, Indiana Review, The Gettysburg Review, West Branch, River Styx, Green Mountains Review, and Image. Davis's poetry has been featured by Garrison Keillor on The Writer's Almanac and by Ted Kooser in the syndicated newspaper column, American Life in Poetry. In addition to his creative work, Davis is author or co-editor of six scholarly books, including Kurt Vonnegut's Crusade, or How a Postmodern Harlequin Preached a New Kind of Humanism and Mapping the Ethical Turn: A Reader in Ethics, Culture, and Literary Theory.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An evocative collection, recommended for seasoned poetry lovers., August 3, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Some Heaven (Paperback)

Pushcart Prize-nominated poet Todd Davis presents Some Heaven, an anthology of free-verse poetry about growth, change, and the twin powers of compassion and love. Poignant environmental metaphors emerge reflecting a thoughtful sense of wonder of the natural world, and its reflection on humankind. An evocative collection, recommended for seasoned poetry lovers. "First Snow, after September 11th": Last night the wind came strong / from the north, brought black / walnut and maple limbs back / to earth - fence row cluttered / in despair. Across the field / a crow beats his wings / against heavy clouds.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In love with the earth, February 8, 2010

By 

E. Fine "Baltidoc" (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Some Heaven (Paperback)

Todd Davis is really a poet who loves his work, his family and nature. All this is deeply reflected in his poems. I had a chance to speak with Mr. Davis through a poetry writing class in Baltimore. He was warm, interesting, and very open to questions about his writing and his love of the outdoors. Todd really shows you his corner of heaven in Pennsylvania.