A Scripture of Crows

by Charles Goodrich

Poetry. "Charles Goodrich, who directs the miraculous Spring Creek Project, here writes a manifesto for world change one compact epiphany at a time. Administrator of local discoveries, he names himself a 'commonist, ' loyal to the local, to the democracy of creatures, to the light, keen blade of the language opening the envelope of our sleep. 'The stars are rising like bubbles / in dark ale / The blood you gave to mosquito is what makes the bluebird / so blue. Feeling as the maple tree / must feel on the verge / of leafing out.' And reading, you are at eye-level with bud and dew, with seeds delving down, near joy despite the scheduled anguish of the modern world. These poems are a restorative in their deft humor and quiet promise. They will change your days, if not your life." Kim Stafford"

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

Charles Goodrich, a Senior Fellow for the Spring Creek Project, is the author of three books of poetry, A Scripture of Crows; Going to Seed: Dispatches from the Garden; and Insects of South Corvallis, and a collection of essays, The Practice of Home, and has co-edited two anthologies, Forest Under Story: Creative Inquiry in an Old-Growth Forest and In the Blast Zone: Catastrophe and Renewal on Mount St. Helens.

Charles Goodrich's writing earned fellowships from Fishtrap, the Oregon Arts Commission, and the 2001 Walt Morey fellowship from Literary Arts. Garrison Keillor has read his poems on National Public Radio. Charles currently works for the Spring Creek Project for Ideas, Nature and the Written Word at Oregon State University.

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've never read or heard of Charles Goodrich(Corvallis, Oregon), his new volume of poetry is remarkable. It is fun to read and makes you think at the same time. He is a homebuilder, professional gardener, poet and grandfather. Give him a try. Available on Amazon.

[Scott Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging collection by an Oregon poet with an eye to nature's beauties, human foibles, and the humor lurking in ordinary things.

[Liaken · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really sank into some of these poems. Solar Gain was my favorite. So evocative. However, it seemed that quite a few of the poems were missing a "last line"—that landing where it creates the "oh" or the "ah."