One Hidden Stuff

by Barbara Ras

Using long-lined, imaginative leaps to connect the everyday with the miraculous, the intimate with the visionary, Barbara Ras's poems surge across the page like waves crashing on a beach. She crafts the forty-one new poems in this collection with a zany and spacious cunning that reaches from family to community, from what's cherished to what's lost, from culture to nature.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

Reviews

[Allyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Simply amazing!

[Patrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

She writes long lines, but all the words are necessary. She says things I wish I had the courage to say, but it's not just honesty; she sees the obvious in the unobvious. And this line: "How many memories can I stand, crime dreams and childhood, ..." My favorite: "...my people come from dirt." The poems are a joy to read.

[Robert Vaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning collection, from the road-tripping "Clouds," to the pared down "Song," Ras's poems all sing in the best ways possible. Her arc, the movement, the ultra-personal tone. This book is a poetic dance, to be celebrated!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mesmerizing... really stays with you.

[Twila Newey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. The language, the line length. I will be reading more of her work. "Maybe it's all just waves..."

[Janée Baugher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just dynamite! There's nothing that I can say that would contradict the well-written jacket copy of this book. Brava, Ras. Read this collection-study it!

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barbara Ras's lines are as elegant as ever in this fine collection of poems. Though not as strong as her Bite Every Sorrow, since it is a bit less trim, more disjointed, and relies on too many private meanings. Still, it always seems unfair to compare a poet to herself, when she stands above many of her contemporaries.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This image from this book has always stuck with me:

"...Maybe today
you'll find gardenias floating in a blue wood-fired bowl and their scent
will bloom into the room like ghostly elephants, bugling softly..."

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5ish