Told in the Seed and Selected Poems
This new collection spans more than sixty years of Sanora Babb's poems. Many of her earliest poems are added to those of her later years in the original Told in the Seed. An introduction by Carol S. Loranger notes that "Of all Sanora Babb's writings, it is the poetry, perhaps, that offers the most intimate and unvarnished picture of the woman and the artist." She weaves together relevant information about Babb's life with the more personal poems to further enhance the reader's appreciation.
Babb won the Borestone Mountain Poetry Award in 1967 for "Told in the Seed" and the Gold Medal Award in 1932 for "Captive" from the Mitre Press Anthology, London. With a strong empathy with people and their daily lives, an affinity with all in the natural world, and the ability to elevate the ordinary into the extraordinary, Babb reflects all this in her poetry.
"This beautifully edited retrospective on the poetry of Sanora Babb reveals the haunting timelessness of her work. Her use of whimsy, detail and irony makes her feel quite contemporary. Her imagery complicates her verse without making it obscure: "I am a wind/That will trouble/Your door/And never/Come in." But most impressive is her ability to conclude a poem at precisely the right moment when "Language is undone,/Thoughts translate/To pure meaning." —Cathryn Essinger, author of The Apricot and the Moon
"This comprehensive collection of Sanora Babb's poetry is long overdue. It offers both a reprint of Babb's 1998 collection and many additional poems that have never been collected. Many of the poems depict Babb's close relationship with nature, showing her intimate understanding of how deeply human life and natural life are intertwined. Her understanding of the natural world rivals that of the New England poet, Amy Lowell. Enhancing this collection is a detailed introduction that situates her work in the history of American poetry."—Iris Jamahl Dunkle, author of Charmian Kittredge London and West: Fire Archive.