Third Place Books welcomes local poet Sherry Rind for a virtual reading of her new book of poetry, The Store-House of Wonder and Astonishment, published by Pleasure Boat Studio.
This event will be broadcast live on Zoom. Registering will provide you with a unique access link in an email. During the event, you can ask questions using the Q&A feature, or chat with fellow attendees. A recording of the event will be made available and emailed to all who register.
This author talk is free! You can sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book.
for this virtual event
Following natural history writings from Aristotle to Darwin, The Store-House of Wonder and Astonishment celebrates the combination of discovery and error passed along for nearly two thousand years. Into this mix comes the repressive influence of the Church on scientific thinking, followed by European colonial attitudes in the New World. But underlying the sense of superiority over people as disparate as Jews, the Irish, and indigenous tribes was the everlasting human yearning for wonder in the natural world with its creatures both real and imagined. Winner of the 2020 Eyelands International Book Award.
"In this collection of compelling persona poems, Sherry Rind gives voice to both the natural dignity and intelligence of animals, and to man's hubris which has shaped our relationships with them. Filled with deep compassion for other lives, these lyrical and often ironic poems show us how often humans 'narrowed in their single element' do not comprehend the varied ways of knowing in the non-human world. In this time in which widespread distrust of science has taken hold, her exploration of ancient writers' outlandish beliefs is a poetic mirror on our own ignorance. 'Because you cannot hear/you do not know how the earth talks to itself.' The Store-House of Wonder and Astonishment is a treasure trove of lyrical insight."
—Alicia Hokanson, author of Perishable World
"An exquisitely written, compelling body of poems that anchors the world of animals to our transcendent human longing to know them, save them, be them. Or, at least, be as wildly innocent. 'We find the wild lands better than dreams.' Rind has skillfully created something original, a body of lyrical poems that read like rich, lavishly rich, gifts of delicate grace. The overall impression is that of a triumphant acknowledgment of animal life that takes the reader to a place of deep empathy and all-embracing tenderness."
—Mary Lou Sanelli, author of Every Little Thing
"...The Store-House of Wonder and Astonishment speaks of age-old histories through the tender wisdom of the Earth's animals and philosophers. The varying perspectives of each poem and section solidify an underlying truth: while the vessel for each 'voice' might be different, the message remains universal. Rind is gentle. . . . It's as though Rind sat with each animal and philosopher, considering the depth and genuine evocation in these persona poems. The varying schools of thought, such as Greek myth and fables from the third century CE, presented in this book show Rind's careful consideration and great respect for these philosophies. The sentiment with which Rind writes adds to the authenticity of her voice with each poem."
—Keana Aguila Labra, Seattle Book Review
Sherry Rind is the author of The Hawk in the Back Yard (Anhinga Award), A Fall Out the Door (King County Arts Award, Confluence Press), and Between States of Matter (The Poetry Box Select, 2020). Chapbooks are The Whooping Crane Dance and A Natural History of Grief. She has received grants and awards from the Seattle and King County Arts Commissions, Pacific Northwest Writers, National Endowment for the Arts, and Artist Trust. Near Seattle, she lives with Airedale terriers, chickens, cockatiels, and a corn snake. She would like to keep a goat.
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