Sketches/Rio de Janeiro & Other Poems by Arthur Powers

In these vivid, spare poems, Arthur Powers lifts you up and transports you into the tropics of Brazil.  A clear-eyed verbal photographer, he presents absorbing images, images evoking misery and merriment, innocence and violence, playful children and old beggars, teeming rain and desert-like sand and dust. Splashed with bright colors, his poetry is an immersion in this distinctive culture through one who sees with both unflinching eyes and an appreciative heart.  His guided tour, rich with delights, is both revelatory and unforgettable.

–Patricia Schnapp, RSM, Ph.D., co-editor of The Best American Catholic Short Stories (Sheed & Ward)

G.K. Chesterton says that “the whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” This was my experience of reading Powers’ poetry. He takes us to Brazil so that we can see ourselves.

–Bernardo Aparicio, founder & president – Dappled Things Literary Magazine

I have often wondered whether I truly appreciated the deep rich mix of history, culture, music, literature and spiritualism that Brazil so graciously offered…. I only learned through reflection later in life to value those aspects of Brazil which, I am glad to say, were not lost on Arthur and Brenda. I don’t think any Americans could have entered any more deeply into the joys and struggles of another society and culture than did the Powers family….  Arthur’s best short stories and poems emerged from those decades of bicultural engagement. I cannot imagine a better way for an American to begin to understand Brazil from the inside out than to sample and savor this diverse collection of sketches and poems. I recall that when my mother, years ago, wanted to know more about my time in Brazil, I presented her with a collection of Arthur’s work.

–Richard Collins Davis