1 of 2
BOA Editions Ltd.
The Reindeer Camps
The Reindeer Camps by Barton Sutter.2 of 2
Wildwood River
Cloud Birds
Cloud Birds by Sheila Packa.The Reindeer Camps
by Barton Sutter
BOA Editions Ltd.
ISBN: 978-1934414842
$16 Softcover
The opening section of The Reindeer Camps examines the darker sides of people whom Duluth-based poet Barton Sutter has encountered and the conditions that challenge our sense of living. He captures the lonely frustration of dying among the candy stripers and piped-in rock music, and remembers the lumberman, Nils, who is moved by the discovery of a nest in a tree he has cut. He observes nature and its celebration of diversity.
The final section is one epic poem – “Reindeer Camps” – that takes us far north and puts us where we have never been and probably will never be. It is a journey into timelessness – it brings forth the metaphors of age and place in the barren lands of Siberia. There is a lesson there for all mankind and our voracious consumption. And this plain landscape is a place to reflect on human space and place.
It is an excellent collection and a philosophy tinged with humor and insight. – Mike Link
Cloud Birds
by Sheila Packa
Wildwood River
ISBN: 978-0984377725
$15 Softcover
Sheila, the descendant of Finnish immigrants, writes her poems within the setting of the Iron Range and Western Lake Superior.
Her style is both visual and rhythmic, with words flowing to create a song-like quality, but with the strength to pull the reader to an abrupt halt. She can lull the reader and also shock.
One of my favorite poems was “memory migration.” Another was “not forgotten,” in which Sheila remembers her father through the memory of him teaching her to ride a bike. “By his side, I learned balance/and took on speed” and eventually she rode on out of his life. This theme is later picked up in “road” and “street musician”: “your strings are roads/that connect to the highway/miles I haven’t gone”. – ML
The books reviewed here, unless indicated, should be available through local booksellers by using the ISBN number. More regional reviews can be seen on www.LakeSuperior.com.