What the Raven Said

by Robert Alexander

“Robert Alexander has long been in my ‘top ten’ living poets. There is a decided uniqueness in Alexander’s work that puts him in that rare category of a memorable poet.”—Jim Harrison
 
“I think there is an Emersonian sensibility in his tightly written prose poems. If there is such a thing as a Midwestern prose poem, Alexander surely invented it, merging natural imagery and personal reflection, transforming what could have been mere picturism into profundity.”—Peter Johnson Robert Alexander is a poet and editor who divides his time between southern Wisconsin and and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He is the author of White Pine Sucker Poems 1970-1990 and Five Waterloo of the Confederacy, a book of creative non-fiction. He is the editor of the Marie Alexander Poetry Series.

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Robert Alexander grew up in Massachusetts. He attended the University of Wisconsin, and for several years taught in the Madison public schools. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, he worked for many years as a freelance editor. From 1993-1999, he was a consulting editor at New Rivers Press, and from 1999-2001 he served as New Rivers' creative director. He is the founding editor of the Marie Alexander Poetry Series at White Pine Press (www.mariealexanderseries.com). He divides his time between southern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Reviews

[Kris Bigalk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This contemplative book of prose poems is a perfect companion for a weekend alone on a northern lake. A chronicle of both interior and exterior landscapes, and how they reflect each other, What the Raven Said combines the rich description of nature reminiscent of the poetry of Mary Oliver and William Stafford with the sensibilities of Thoreau.

[Gerry LaFemina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Alexander's What the Raven Said is a collection of prose poems that read like journal entries from the Wisconsin Thoreau, beautifully rendered and carefully conceived, though just a bit monotone for my taste.