For the Duration by Kathleen Naureckas

How succinctly, and with what grace and eloquence, Kathleen Naureckas‘ poems chart the vicissitudes of a life lived fully and deeply. These finely wrought poems quietly reveal poignant family memories that are hauntingly evocative and profoundly moving. In them we hear what Wordsworth called “the still sad music of humanity,” and we witness the small and large triumphs of a spirit that has endured great losses with dignity and compassion.
–Maurya Simon, author of The Raindrop’s Gospel: The Trials of St. Jerome and St. Paula and eight other books of poetry.

These poems are rich with the stuff of the human condition. They are beautiful poems because they don’t hold back, are honest and breathe in the dirt and color of a daughter, a mother, a grandmother, a big-hearted and spirit-rich woman who sees the world with gracious eyes. This book is an extraordinary collection—one I will cherish for a long, long time.
–Matthew Lippman, author of Monkey Bars and The New Year of Yellow.

Counterpointing rigor with compassion, sorrow with celebration, Kathleen Naureckas‘ poems investigate the histories that make up her life. We enter vivid memories of wartime and family life through poems written in both free verse and more formal modes, including several lovely sonnets. The tone here sidesteps sentimentality by invoking a natural reticence at times and by insisting on the particular.
–Alice George, author of This Must Be the Place.

Rating:  ***** [5 of 5 Stars!]