Small Boat with Oars of Different Size (Carnegie Mellon Poetry Series) (Paperback)

by Thom Ward (Author), DeLoss McGraw (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
Small Boat with Oars of Different Size is a poetry book that combines the playful and the meditative, the music of honed language and the force of the imagination. Ten years in the making, Ward's debut collection speaks to contemporary American life at the end of the 20th century, and the ambiguity and ambivalence of what it means to be human.

From the Back Cover
"Embodying high spirits and good humor, and romantic, too, Thom Ward's Small Boat pushes off from the stings and gratifications of the domestic, and finds a wide channel of sense and empathy. "Art is only/ a portal to love," he writes, who has made a writer's pact with the days. The easy intensity here, and the poet's committed alertness drew me in." - Marvin Bell.

"We aren't the first to wake/ with wounds we thought sleep would salve," Thom Ward concludes in his fine poem "Stray Dogs, Foaming," one of many that combines precise natural detail with an ability to abstract and assay our lives. Small Boat with Oars of Different Size is an impressive debut by a poet who makes his language thump while it names and probes." - Stephen Dunn

"Thom Ward writes with tremendous imaginative energy and an exceptional ear. The former is rare enough. The latter is even more rare. When both are combined in one poet, one books, well, that's a miracle." - Thomas Lux

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Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: Carnegie-Mellon University Press; 1st Printing edition (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887483038
• ISBN-13: 978-0887483035
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 5.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,886,097 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small Boat is a small treasure, December 9, 1999

By A Customer

This is a delightful and thought-provoking set of poems from a highly-talented poet. The energy in the lines and their musicality make them excellent for reading aloud. Humor is used in conjunction with serious philosophical thought, and there is a delightful lack of pretension. 'Looking forward to more work from Thom Ward.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant Poetry, June 16, 2002

By	Joy Bennett (Pittsford, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A wonderful collection of poems from Thom Ward, an accomplished poet and editor at BOA Editions, Ltd. I took a poetry workshop taught by Mr. Ward recently; he is also most generous with sharing his gifts and insights with students.

Some of these poems are among the finest I've read recently, and I've had more than my share. I'll read these poems again and again; this small gem of a book is an education in itself.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read!, July 29, 1999

By A Customer

Thom Ward is a poet to watch