Best Selling Books by Elizabeth Spires

"Spires is a jewel of a poet, never self-conscious or self-indulgent."—Los Angeles Times Opening with a powerful sequence of poems about her mother''s death, Elizabeth Spires writes about the life-and-death matters of midlife: the separation of parent from child, the loss of family and friends, the evolving nature of our closest friendships. These poems find hope in the seasonal and spiritual moment when "the green blade rises."

“With not one wrong move, not one word off-key or trivial, this collection of poems makes us experience intimate, yet not necessarily personal, contact with the poet who lets us at times see the struggle behind the refined sensibility. . . .Spires asks the big questions with such competence and polish that we admire her sweating, our metaphysical gladiator, guarantor of our considerable pleasure.” —Nancy Nahra, Philadelphia Inquirer Winner of a 1996 Whiting Award. In her fourth collection of poems Elizabeth Spires addresses the elemental subjects of life and of literature: birth, death, creation, and intimations of immortality. The first section focuses on the experiences of conception, pregnancy, and childbirth from the points of view of both mother and child. The second section offers a reversal and reply in which the poems move out into a divided and divisive world. These poems are distinguished by an immaculate lyricism, a pristine sense for the natural world and the rhythms of language.

A contemplative, witty new collection from a "jewel of a poet" (Los Angeles Times). In Elizabeth Spires''s sixth collection of poetry, the pilgrim soul, in its various guises, meditates on its own slow becoming, finding humble companions in creatures as unlikely as a lowly snail, a prehistoric coelacanth, or a tiny Japanese netsuke of a badger disguised as a monk. For Spires, life is both a pilgrimage and a deepening—birth, death, and transformation all part of a seamless continuum. Possessed of a calm, crystalline sense of eternity, her poems invite fellow travelers to sit for a little while and be cleansed of the dust of existence.

New York Times Book Review Best Poetry of 2018 “Like a cup of tea for the weary.” —Washington Post In this Zen-infused and meditative collection, critically acclaimed poet Elizabeth Spires reflects on memory, mortality, and the boundaries of human existence. Inspired by the tradition of poetic interest in Zen, Spires explores selfhood and the search for a core identity, interrogating the divide between the social persona and the artist’s secret self. The poems in A Memory of the Future ask the unanswerable questions that become more pressing in the second half of life: How are we changed by the passage of time? How does memory define and shape us?

The heroic true story of one of the Eastern seaboard''s first woman lighthouse keepers, illustrated by a Caldecott Medalist. Living in the isolated Robbins Reef Lighthouse, overlooking turn-of-the-century New York Harbor, Kate Walker spent her life minding the light, keeping passing ships from running aground on the dangerous shoals. Originally the assistant to her lighthouse keeper husband John Walker, after his death Kate convinced the Lighthouse Board that she was able to manage the hard work on her own. For more than three decades, Kate lived a solitary life, often totally isolated from the mainland by rough seas and dangerous storms. Tending to the lamps and ringing the heavy warning bell, she helped ships avert disaster-- and saved many sailors from the cold, choppy waters when disaster struck. Elizabeth Spires describes the joys and hardships of a life at sea, detailing pivotal moments in Walker''s life to show her indomitable spirit, and celebrates the determination that drove Kate to keep her home and her livelihood. Paired with Emily Arnold McCully''s atmospheric, vivid watercolor-and-ink illustrations of lonely lighthouses, sun-dappled afternoons, and wrathful storms, this gripping picture book brings turn of the century New York to life. Additional material in the back of the book includes a biographical note about Kate Walker, historical photographs of Kate and her home at Robbins Reef Lighthouse, reproductions of an historical map of New York Harbor, and a list of sources for more information. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year A CCBC Choice

A stunning new collection from a poet who “made her name a watchword for serenity and poise” (Contemporary Poetry Review). In Elizabeth Spires''s sixth collection of poetry, the pilgrim soul, in its various guises, meditates on its own slow becoming, finding humble companions in creatures as unlikely as a lowly snail, a prehistoric coelacanth, or a tiny Japanese netsuke of a badger disguised as a monk. For Spires, life is both a pilgrimage and a deepening—birth, death, and transformation all part of a seamless continuum. Possessed of a calm, crystalline sense of eternity, her poems invite fellow travelers to sit for a little while and be cleansed of the dust of existence.

Spinning, I can''t stop spinning, so stay a minute, and I, Arachne, will spin a story for you . . . In this singular collection, the heroes and heroines of fifteen Greek and Roman tales give their own dramatic accounts of events. From the magnificent spinner Arachne, who learns that a mortal should never challenge a god, to the god Pan, who prefers Earth to Mount Olympus, to the beautiful, self-indulgent Pandora and the gold-stricken Midas—the reader becomes a confidant to the tellers of these sometimes humorous, sometimes sad, always engaging tales of wonder, woe, romantic love, and jealousy. Mordicai Gerstein''s energetic, whimsical illustrations combine with Elizabeth Spires''s playful renditions for a totally fresh take on familiar and not-so-familiar myths.

When she moves into Emily Dickinson''s bedroom, Emmaline the mouse discovers her own propensity for poetry.

Little Cat bothers the other cats with his loud meow, but it comes in handy when they are chased by a nasty bulldog.

One night in the early 1930s, William Edmondson, the son of former slaves and a janitor in Nashville, Tennessee, heard God speaking to him. And so he began to carve – tombstones, birdbaths, and stylized human figures, whose spirits seemed to emerge fully formed from the stone. Soon Edmondson''s talents caught the eye of prominent members of the art world, and in 1937 he became the first black artist to have a solo exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Here, in twenty-three free-verse poems, award-winning poet Elizabeth Spires gives voice to Edmondson and his creations, which tell their individual stories with wit and passion. With stunning photographs, including ten archival masterpieces by Louise Dahl-Wolfe and Edward Weston, this is a compelling portrait of a truly original American artist.

A little bear, named Simon, went out with his picnic basket and butterfly net, one Saturday. He forgot his mother''s warning to stay away from the Enchanted Forest. While he was chasing after a butterfly, little Simon was trapped in the forest.