An anthology of poetry by over 60 poets from and inspired to write poetry about The Finger Lakes Region in Upstate, NY.
From the introduction:
According to Native American legend, the Great Spirit looked upon this land, we all live in and around with special favor. Reaching down to bless the soil, the Creator left the imprint of His hand, creating the Finger Lakes.
Geologiest tell the sory a bit differently: as the ice age ended, glaciers, covering what is now northern New Yorki recedev, In doing so, they gouged giant holes in what became the Finger Lakes region. These gouges formed not only our lakes, but also our spectacular gorges and waterfalls.
Lying withing an imaginary triangle between Syracuse, Rochester, and Elmira-Corning, the eleven Finger Lakes provide the inspiration for this collection of poetry.
Excerpt
LISTEN
The Last leaves cut loose ahead of the wind
Snow by nightfall. We'll be
islanded in silence by morning.
The summer's behind us at last --
a perfectly sensible search for land, we said,
but always something wanting--
home site, facing south--farm pond--view--
year-round road-room for barn and wood shop--
wanted most to be islanded in woods,
one woodpecker knocking on the silence,
old growth forest listening deep around us.
-- Linda Allardt
Professional Reviews
Syracuse New Times
Poets Marbach and Schwartz have pulled together an impressive collection of short poems from regional writers that all,at least in some sense, are inspired by the Finger Lakes and their environs. Many depict the natural world in the form of the first deer hunt or memorialize the arrival of winter, but many others are personal, human sketches. Short biographis of the dozens of authors reveal a grist of amateur and more certifiable poets, all inspired by the place they call home -- Justin Park
Ithaca Times
Katharyn Howd Machan
Poet (Belly Words, 1994) and associate professor at Ithaca College
* Knocking on the Silence: An Anthology of Poetry Inspired by the Finger Lakes edited by Donna M. Marbach and Patricia Roth Schwartz. Released just a few months ago by FootHills Publishing, this anthology includes wonderful work by dozens of poets from our region. Beautifully crafted in a hand-bound edition, it makes a very special gift - for one's own library and for friends and family who appreciate what our part of New York offers the world.--Jessica del Mundo
This is a book of free verse poetry that addresses the seven main tests in life and offers some sensible solutions to passing those tests with minimal discomfort.
“The woman or man who is a poet, or fiction writer, or playwright, or all of these, is engaged constantly in a jazz ballet of vocabularies, passions, genders, histories, perspectives, death, love, and life. The music of revelation announces itself to
Inspirational poetry, written from the heart and soul. Verses that are well-suited for reading on a rainy day and that are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.
