The Spaces Between Birds: Mother/Daughter Poems, 1967-1995 (Wesleyan Poetry Series) [Paperback]

Sandra McPherson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Wesleyan Poetry Series | Publication Date: February 15, 1996

In 1967, Sandra McPherson's daughter Phoebe was born with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. In The Spaces Between Birds, McPherson collects poems from six of her published books as well as new poems, uncollected poems, and poems written under a pseudonym, that draw on her experiences as a mother to Phoebe. Representing 28 years of work, these poems describe the voyage-both wrenching and exhilarating-on which mother and daughter embarked. Interspersed are poems by Phoebe, offering an illuminating and often searing counterpoint to those of her mother. The poems poignantly evoke the world created by autism, providing a rare sense of an inner life that has long been unapprehendable, and detailing the intimacy and ultimate alienness of relations even between mother and daughter, and even between word and meaning.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her 16th and 17th published poetry collections, McPherson calls for a more expansive poetry aesthetic, persuasively demonstrated in her own generous, affecting and highly accomplished work. What these two volumes have in common is an exploration of the ways in which non-normative modes of cognition and sensory experience can be poetic. Edge Effect finds model and inspiration in the creativity of mentally ill, marginalized and self-taught artists, such as the quilter of "Affirmation Against Critics" who "authored the a-universal/ from actual shreds of her life." Achieving musicality with packed, resonant language, Edge Effect also showcases McPherson's mastery of precisely observed nature poetry. Deepening her vision with difficult experience, The Spaces Between Birds is a tender and profound chronicle of raising an autistic child. In "Some Schizophrenics," the poet writes of "watching/ black motion playing/ where the whole bird should be." Interspersing her autistic grown daughter's words, McPherson inscribes their imagistic construction as poetry. With an elegant directness reminiscent of Anne Sexton's, Spaces is a flock of hard truths, joyfully told. McPherson is a distinctive stylist and a compassionate voice whose work continues to enrich and reward readers.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"With an elegant directness reminiscent of Anne Sexton's, Spaces is a flock of hard truths, joyfully told . . . McPherson is a distinctive stylist and a compassionate voice whose work continues to enrich and reward readers."--Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 75 pages
• Publisher: Wesleyan; 1st edition (February 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0819522287
• ISBN-13: 978-0819522283
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,681,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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