The Ledge

A new collection of poetry by the director of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, which celebrates its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2000. "Dark splendor" are the words Edward Hirsch uses to describe the poems of the award-winning author Michael Collier. Collier's new work balances on the ledge between the everyday and the unknown, revealing the hidden depths of relationships. The poems in THE LEDGE are narrative and colloquial, musical and crystalline, at once intimate and sharp-edged. They render the world beautifully mysterious as they slide into unexpected emotional territory. A son loses his father's favorite hammer, and with it his trust. In "The Wave," the enthusiastic crowd at a baseball game rises and sits in frightening unison, belying their hopeful cheering. In "Fathom and League," a dive two miles deep in the Pacific reveals the submerged volcanoes of the ocean and the soul. In many of the poems, the familiar animal world - of dogs and sparrows and possums in the yard - transfigures the view through a window. As director of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Collier has reinvigorated one of America's most important literary institutions. The artistry and directness of THE LEDGE confirm his place among the most significant poets of his generation.

In this collection, seemingly simple moments reveal profound, and often unsettling, truths.
Accessible Lyrical Poetry: Written in a clear, colloquial voice that is both musical and sharp-edged, these poems are at once intimate and immediately engaging.Poems About Family: Witness a son lose his father’s favorite hammer and, along with it, his trust in a poem that captures the weight of small, devastating moments.The Uncanny in the Ordinary: Discover how a hopeful crowd at a baseball game can become a frightening unison, revealing the hidden currents beneath the surface of daily life.The Natural World: See how the familiar world of sparrows and possums in the yard can transfigure a simple view through a window into something mysterious and new.Deep Emotional Territory: Plunge two miles deep in the Pacific to find the submerged volcanoes that mirror the hidden landscapes of the human soul.