
In Praise of Falling
Cheryl Dumesnil(Author)
University of Pittsburgh Press
Will be published approx. on 20. July 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
88 pages
978-0-8229-6041-6 (ISBN)
Description
The poems in this collection are the proverbial spring bulbs abandoned in the basement, growing toward a slim crack of sunlight. They are both aware of the limitations of social structures and forcefully committed to breaking out of those traps, urging toward a better way of living. The characters in these poems resist the twenty-first century\u2019s prescription for a life of emotional-spiritual bankruptcy, reaching toward an ever-elusive glimmer on the horizon.
Reviews / Votes
The focus in Cheryl Dumesnil's poetry is on contemporary subjects in contemporary language-always with fresh understandings and surprising angles and, like all good poetry, with the 'best words in the best order.' * Ed Ochester * In poems that 'keep us alive by recording / all our details right,' Cheryl Dumesnil passionately and at times irreverently approaches the consequences of desire, knowing that 'sometimes / looking closer lets us love something / more.' Confucius and Karen Carpenter may ghost through these poems, but autistic children and the selfless community of women spark 'the unspoken wondering / if any one of us is safe.' The poems remain celebratory, though, because their eloquent yet unassuming gestures 'raise us / up from the depths, silver, glimmering.' In Praise of Falling is a debut of extraordinary transparency and generosity. * Michael Waters * "In Praise of Falling is, indeed, a book of praise, one that celebrates the world's gifts with an awareness of its dangers. In the title poem, Dumesnil finds beauty even in 'that inedible nut, the green globe turning.' Falling, yes, but still aloft-that's where the poet captures these keenly observed narratives." * Kim Addonizio * A beautiful, linguistic celebration of the surprises that come from seeming failures. * <i>BOMBlog</i> * Poems that calm and inspire . . . Introspection tempered by humility and gratitude, key qualities of Zen, character 'In Praise of Falling.' This book is well worth reading for its quiet pleasures. * <i>The Potomac</i> *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Pittsburgh PA
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 137 mm
Thickness: 8 mm
Weight
136 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8229-6041-6 (9780822960416)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Cheryl Dumesnil
In Praise of Falling
E-Book
07/2009
University of Wales Press
€17.49
Available for download
Person
Cheryl Dumesnil is editor of Hitched! Wedding Stories from San Francisco City Hall and coeditor of Dorothy Parker's Elbow: Tattoos on Writers, Writers on Tattoos. Her poems have appeared in Calyx, Indiana Review, Many Mountains Moving, and Nimrod International Journal, among other publications. Cheryl teaches writing workshops in the San Francisco Bay area.