Poets and Poems: Linda Nemec Foster and “Amber Necklace of Gdansk”

If the information on the Family Search website is accurate, my paternal ancestors can be traced back to 1520s England. A few would eventually emigrate to America in the 1620s and late 1600s. On my mother’s side, the first group arrived in the 1720s; more followed in the 1760s. The final group arrived in the first great German migration to America in the 1830s. I’m not sure when one’s ancestry becomes important, but I can say I discovered it fairly young, put it on hold for a few decades, and then came back to it. 

In 2001, poet Linda Nemec Foster published a poetry collection, Amber Necklace of Gdansk, that reads like a study of where she came from. In this case, it’s Poland. Ancestors had emigrated from Poland to America, settling in Cleveland. Growing up in the Cleveland area, Foster became aware of the stories of the old country and the family customs that carried over.

To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.

Some Thursday Readings

 

“Written in March,” poem by William Wordsworth – Sally Thomas at Poems Ancient and Modern.

 

A Hymn of Heavenly Beauty – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song on the poetry of Edmund Spenser. 

 

The Great American Poetry Competition – Society of Classical Poets.

 

“The Donkey,” poem by G.K. Chesterton – Joseph Bottum at Poems Ancient and Modern.

Poets and Poems: Linda Nemec Foster and the Extraordinary Ordinary

A few weeks ago, I looked by Bone Country, the recent poetry collection by Linda Nemec Foster. It was like a travel guide to Europe, but not what you expected from a travel book. She explore through both real and imagined stories, and you came away with a strong sense of what the people and places are really about. 

Since then, I’ve looked at two of Foster’s previous collections, Talking Diamonds, first published in 2009 and reissued in 2023, and Bue Divide, published in 2021 and republished in 2023. In both cases, the first publisher had closed its doors and the collections were reissued by Cornerstone Press of the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. It’s not difficult to see why. Both Talking Diamonds and Blue Divide are excellent, with sharp imagery, moving stories, and an original voice. 

To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.

Some Tuesday Readings

 

Fire in the Earth – poem by David Whyte.

 

Poetry Prompt: Meet Your Muse Erato – L.L. Barkat at Tweetspeak Poetry.

 

An Answer Without a Question – poem by Robert Cording at Rabbit Room Poetry.

 

Verses on the Prospects of Planting Arts and Learning in America, poem by George Berkeley – Joseph Bottum at Poems Ancient and Modern.

Poets and Poems: Linda Nemec Foster and “Bone Country”

One can visit Europe in lots of ways – cruise ship on the rivers, cruise ship on the ocean, bus, car, backpacking, bicycle, airplane, even on foot. I don’t know exactly how poet Linda Nemec Foster has visited Europe, and her 2024 collection Bone Country shows she’s at least visited in prose poetry.  

Bone Country is not a travelogue or tourist guide. Instead, it’s a deep dive into people, history, major upheavals, and small events. She watches a man with a spiked mohawk drink tea in Istanbul. An artist from Serbia insists he’s painted her face. She watches undercover policewomen and ghosts among the trees in Warsaw. 

To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.

Some Tuesday Readings

 

10 – poem by Sonja Benskin Mesher.

 

A Poem for the 250^th Anniversary of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense – Andrew Benson Brown at The Society of Classical Poets.

 

“Good Night, World,” poem by Jacob Glatstein – Ruth Wisse at The Free Press.

 

Introducing Inspiration – New Annual Theme – L.L. Barkat at Tweetspeak Poetry.

 

“Hurt Hawks,” poem by Robinson Jeffers – Joseph Bottum at Poems Ancient and Modern.