If you stumble over your words when you talk about love, take a lesson from Jesse Wilder. Gatherin' Emily, Jesse Wilder's new book of poems, is a collection of the most inspired, honest, head-over-heels love poems I've seen in a long time.
In Gatherin' Emily, Wilder sidesteps sentimentality and dives into the longing, the passion, and the mystery of love. But he doesn't stop there. In forty-three well-crafted poems, Jesse Wilder confronts the realities of love, too. As you turn the pages of this beautiful hardback book, you come to a deeper understanding of the way romantic love fulfills, enlightens, and binds together even as it confuses and humbles lovers.
As a poet, I respect the clean lines of these poems, the ease with which the rhymes are made, and the fresh approach Jesse Wilder takes to this age-old topic. As a woman, I recommend Gatherin' Emily as essential equipment for every man wooing a sweetheart. Speak to a woman like Jesse Wilder does, and she'll be yours forever.
Professor Steven Youra, English Department, Cornell University
Gatherin' Emily is a collection of deeply felt love poems. In its diction, Jesse Wilder's verse hearkens back to an earlier era; in its form, this poetry reminds us that rampant, passionate, emotions can be framed within structures of elegant rhythms and rhymes. These sincere expressions of a young Romantic man are sensual and serious and playful.
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