Bone Strings

by Anne Coray

I'm tired of human clamor,
smudge and clutter of the world.
Who wants to go on
governed by the same rude horns,
the demagogues, the rabble?

Anne Coray is unapologetic in her attempts to bring the plight of the environment to the masses. Her words are forthright, her language is clear--but Coray's poems are not to be mistaken as easy. Bone Strings is a harrowing, magnificent, and morbid examination of Alaska's jeopardized wilderness.

Genres: Poetry

77 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2005

About the author

Anne Coray’s debut novel Lost Mountain is published with West Margin Press. She is the author of three poetry collections; coeditor of Crosscurrents North: Alaskans on the Environment, (University of Alaska Press); and coauthor of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (Alaska Geographic). Her work has appeared in many literary journals including the Southern Review, Northwest Review, Poetry, North American Review, and AQR. The recipient of fellowships from the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Rasmuson Foundation, she divides her time between Homer and her birthplace on remote Lake Clark in southwest Alaska.

Reviews

[Callista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful words chosen, sometimes a bit too out of reach to really grasp the meaning. I like to grasp full meaning in a poem, for that 3 stars. But she states she wrote this book when she was 37, so I added a star. She’s writing and putting them out there, even if the visuals seem to reside a bit more in her head than in the poems (at least to me, the reader). But there were many I really enjoyed.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard of Coray before I picked up her book in a local art gallery in Kenai, AK, but I'm glad I did. Reading it helps to remind me of our trip to Alaska in 2019. Coray reads like an Alaskan Mary Oliver. Strong evocation of setting, atmosphere, nature, and a wonder-filled affection and respect for the people and harsh beauty of the 49th state.