Woolgathering

";;;The writing of it drew me from my strange torpor and I hope that in some measure it will fill the reader with a vague and curious joy.";;; Poet, artist, and musician Smith, winner of the National Book Award for Just Kids, provides a new introduction for this childhood memoir (first published in 1992), describing how the book developed from a period of intense depression. Smith's concise, lyrical essays invite the reader to dwell on the text. In ";;;Barndance,";;; she describes how children grow to recognize the dichotomy between physical similarities to their families and cognitive differences. Several essays discuss her artistic goals, and in ";;;Two Worlds,";;; she writes about her dream of becoming a painter. Belonging is a frequent theme, and in ";;;Millet,";;; she writes about her connection, and lack thereof, with her grandmothers and mother. Half beautiful language and metaphors, half raw emotion, this book (which includes a handful of personal photos) will inspire and influence a new generation of logophiles as they read and reread this absorbing, meditative work. (Nov.)

[Page ]. Copyright 2011 PWxyz LLC