<DIV><p>&ldquo;[Twichell&rsquo;s] poems generate the requisite heat with the poet&rsquo;s precise, original and frequently brilliant use of language. . . . A major voice in contemporary poetry.&rdquo; &mdash;<I>Publishers Weekly</I></p> <p>&ldquo;[Twichell&rsquo;s poems] track the inner movements of one life with an unexpected freshness.&rdquo; &mdash;<I>The Washington Post</I></p> <p><I>Publishers Weekly</I> called Chase Twichell &ldquo;a major voice in contemporary poetry,&rdquo; and this long overdue retrospective supports the claim. Selected from six award-winning books, this volume collects the best of Twichell&rsquo;s meditative and startling poems. A longtime student of Zen Buddhism, Twichell probes how the self changes over time and how the perception of self affects the history and meaning of our lives. Her poems exhibit a deep and urgent love of the natural world amidst ecological decimation, while also delving into childhood memories and the surprise and nourishment that come from radical shifts in perception.</p> <p><I>What etiquette holds us back<BR>from more intimate speech,<BR>especially now, at the end of the world?<BR>Can&rsquo;t we begin a conversation<BR>here in the vestibule,<BR>then gradually move it inside?<BR>What holds us back<BR>from saying things outright?</I></p> <p><B>Chase Twichell</B> is the author of six books of poetry and the best-selling writer&rsquo;s manual <I>Practice of Poetry</I>. She is the founding editor of Ausable Press and lives in rural New York with her husband, the novelist Russell Banks.</p></DIV>