The Afterlives of Trees

by Wyatt Townley, Gary Lechliter (Editor), Michael Johnson (Illustrator)

A volume of astounding poems on the theme of transformation, this book has been called a love song to the life force. It features stunning black-and-white photographs by Michael Johnson, likened by critics to Ansel Adams. A must-read whether one commonly reads poetry or not. The power and scope of Wyatt Townley s The Afterlives of Trees shakes you to your very bones. There s some audaciously formidable poetry in this book.
---John Weisman, seven time New York Times bestselling author

The Afterlives of Trees brings together exquisite poetry of great tenderness, strength, and beauty, but it is also a book of revelation .a love song to the life force.
---Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Poet Laureate of Kansas

About the Author:
Wyatt Townley s books of poems include The Breathing Field (Little, Brown) and Perfectly Normal (The Smith), and her work has appeared widely from Newsweek to The Paris Review. Recently she wrote the 50th anniversary book of The Kansas City Ballet (The Kansas City Star). HarperCollins published Wyatt s yoga book, Yoganetics: Be Fit, Healthy, and Relaxed One Breath at a Time, deemed an Editor s Choice by Yoga Journal. She lives with writer-husband Roderick Townley in Kansas, and her work is grounded in its wind, storms, and stars. You can learn more about her work at www.yoganetics.com or www.WyattTownley.com.

Genres: Poetry

92 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2011

About the author

Wyatt Townley s books of poems include The Breathing Field (Little, Brown) and Perfectly Normal (The Smith), and her work has appeared widely from Newsweek to The Paris Review. Recently she wrote the 50th anniversary book of The Kansas City Ballet (The Kansas City Star). HarperCollins published Wyatt s yoga book, Yoganetics: Be Fit, Healthy, and Relaxed One Breath at a Time, deemed an Editor s Choice by Yoga Journal. She lives with writer-husband Roderick Townley in Kansas, and her work is grounded in its wind, storms, and stars.

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

From seeing the title in my library catalog, to reading the single poem on Wyatt Townley's Poemhunter page, to eating up every poem in this book, I loved it all. I'm not a poet nor much of a poetry reader, so despite adoring them, I can't tell you what these poems are about, or even what I think they're about. All I know is that "The Heart Is A Dog Barking" made me cry. I can't really explain why, it just did.

So anyways, highly recommend. Will probably buy this later.

[Tyler Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the unearthly wisdom at play in Wyatt Townley's Kansas Notable Book Award-winning collection The Afterlives of Trees. Each section is foregrounded by a different, ghostly image of a tree in some stage of its life, and that photograph foretells the subject matter ahead. From contemplations of the cosmos to the machinations at work in the earth beneath our feet, Townley's poetry contains multitudes.

[Myndi Shafer · Rating 5 out of 5]

TITLE: The Afterlives of Trees

AUTHOR: Wyatt Townley

WHY I PICKED IT UP: I don't read a lot of poetry. Truthfully, I don't have the patience for it (#characterflaw). But if you've read my Shrilugh series, you know I have a fondness for trees, so the title caught my eye. Also, this is a local (a Kansas native) author, which piqued my interest. So into my cart it went. Thank you, Goodwill!

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT: Some of Ms. Townley's poems are pure magic. The Oak Desk is one of them. The Elms is another. Centering the House is phenomenal. Really, truly, there are scores beautiful magical words between the pages of this book.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT IT: Not a thing. This was one of those books that I bought as a bit of a skeptic, and ended up falling in love with. It's definitely one I'll read again.

OVERALL RATING: Five stars

[Jan Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful poetry by the poet laureate of the State of KS who makes a home in the KC area. It is sensual, spiritual, earthy, and leads through all paths taken in the walk of life.
Especially, the poems, "Trees from a Train," "Centering the House," and "Swimming Test" brought memories in a full choral symphony within my mind.

[emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

looking for modern poets (that are um good) and stumbled across this book... and really love it. Wyatt Townley is an amazing poet, creating free verse and enjoyable poems related to trees in some way. LOVING this one so far.
(i really have n.o. idea how to review poetry.)