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Peripheries
A collections of poems about the role of memory in our lives. Many poems recall the author's childhood in Point Edward, Ontario. Others deal with family members, past and present.
84 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
4 people want to read
About the author
Don Gutteridge
118 books100 followersDon Gutteridge was born in Sarnia and raised in the nearby village of Point Edward. He taught High School English for seven years, later becoming a Professor in the Faculty of Education at the Western University, where he is now Professor Emeritus. He is the author of twenty-two novels. including the twelve-volume Marc Edwards mystery series. Don is also an accomplished poet and has published twenty-three books of poetry, one of which, Coppermine, was a finalist for the 1973 Governor-General's Award. In 1970 he won the UWO President's medal for the best periodical poem of that year. To listen to interviews with the author, go to: http://thereandthen.podbean.com. Don currently lives in London, Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 2, 2016
Peripheries reminds me of the filter of time, as we look through aging eyes at the new generation (children of children) and see them taking the journey we have already experienced, the recollection of the evolving consciousness as we move through childhood, adolescence, and on into the world where we are the elders. Remembering your own grandparents, or yourself as a child coming of age, the "nippling" of the male libido, the hint of puberty in a blue blouse, then the proud grandfather watching his granddaughters learn the craft of women: what it all means, and what it once meant, and what it will come to mean – remembering, experiencing, imagining, and fixing it all in a poem. What a privilege to contemplate the numinous, the celerity, the cozy desmene of the mind. John B. Lee
Reviewed By Marta Tandori for Readers’ Favorite
As comforting as a slice of warm apple pie on a cool autumn day, Peripheries is a lovely collection of poems by Don Gutteridge, a man who has clearly experienced life to the fullest. Divided into three parts, Peripheries is a collection of free-form poems conveyed by someone who is both chronicling life from its periphery as an observer to one who has lived it, survived it, and gloried in it. While there isn’t a single stanza told in iambic pentameter, there is nevertheless an intimate sharing of feelings, hopes, joys, sorrows and pain. Words well from within, heavy with emotion, as Gutteridge selflessly shares all that has moved and confounded him, all that has given him hope, joy and pain.
In Part One, Peripheries expresses the unadulterated joy of a child released by the recess bell to trample happily through mounds of pristine snow. There’s also Notice, which shares the author’s early flirtation with adolescence, and the more serious There Was a Time that deals with faith – or the loss thereof. In Part Two, Gutteridge gives us some wonderful odes to the joy and pride of family in Where Love Grows and Song and Dance, to the grimmer offering of Night Fever, which explores the fine line between sleep and death. Part Three showcases Gutteridge’s keen sense of spirit in Wild Horses to the more poignant Dying Sumac. Then, of course, there’s Miss Stevens, about a teacher who “taught English as if it were a military exercise.” This is sure to touch a chord in most readers who’ve all had a Miss Stevens at some point in their scholastic careers!
However, all in all, Peripheries is a fine collection of poems with a powerful heartbeat and a soul that is sure to resonate with all lovers of poetry.
Reviewed By Marta Tandori for Readers’ Favorite
As comforting as a slice of warm apple pie on a cool autumn day, Peripheries is a lovely collection of poems by Don Gutteridge, a man who has clearly experienced life to the fullest. Divided into three parts, Peripheries is a collection of free-form poems conveyed by someone who is both chronicling life from its periphery as an observer to one who has lived it, survived it, and gloried in it. While there isn’t a single stanza told in iambic pentameter, there is nevertheless an intimate sharing of feelings, hopes, joys, sorrows and pain. Words well from within, heavy with emotion, as Gutteridge selflessly shares all that has moved and confounded him, all that has given him hope, joy and pain.
In Part One, Peripheries expresses the unadulterated joy of a child released by the recess bell to trample happily through mounds of pristine snow. There’s also Notice, which shares the author’s early flirtation with adolescence, and the more serious There Was a Time that deals with faith – or the loss thereof. In Part Two, Gutteridge gives us some wonderful odes to the joy and pride of family in Where Love Grows and Song and Dance, to the grimmer offering of Night Fever, which explores the fine line between sleep and death. Part Three showcases Gutteridge’s keen sense of spirit in Wild Horses to the more poignant Dying Sumac. Then, of course, there’s Miss Stevens, about a teacher who “taught English as if it were a military exercise.” This is sure to touch a chord in most readers who’ve all had a Miss Stevens at some point in their scholastic careers!
However, all in all, Peripheries is a fine collection of poems with a powerful heartbeat and a soul that is sure to resonate with all lovers of poetry.
September 6, 2016
Don Gutteridge has done it again! a wonderful collection of poems that evoke long lost memories, bringing smiles to our faces and warmth to our heart. The following review captures the work perfectly.
Reviewed By Marta Tandori f or Readers’ Favorite
As comforting as a slice of warm apple pie on a cool autumn day, Peripheries is a lovely collection of
poems by Don Gutteridge, a man who has clearly experienced life to the fullest. Divided into three
parts, Peripheries is a collection of free-form poems conveyed by someone who is both chronicling
life from its periphery as an observer to one who has lived it, survived it, and gloried in it. While
there isn’t a single stanza told in iambic pentameter, there is nevertheless an intimate sharing of
feelings, hopes, joys, sorrows and pain. Words well from within, heavy with emotion, as Gutteridge
selflessly shares all that has moved and confounded him, all that has given him hope, joy and pain.
In Part One, Peripheries expresses the unadulterated joy of a child released by the recess bell to
trample happily through mounds of pristine snow. There’s also Notice, which shares the author’s
early flirtation with adolescence, and the more serious There Was a Time that deals with faith – or
the loss thereof. In Part Two, Gutteridge gives us some wonderful odes to the joy and pride of
family in Where Love Grows and Song and Dance, to the grimmer offering of Night Fever, which
explores the fine line between sleep and death. Part Three showcases Gutteridge’s keen sense of
spirit in Wild Horses to the more poignant Dying Sumac. Then, of course, there’s Miss Stevens,
about a teacher who “taught English as if it were a military exercise.” This is sure to touch a chord
in most readers who’ve all had a Miss Stevens at some point in their scholastic careers!
An introduction by the author to each of the three parts of the book would have made the book
even more personal, to give some indication as to the motivation behind each section, why those
particular poems, etc. However, all in all, Peripheries is a fine collection of poems with a powerful
heartbeat and a soul that is sure to resonate with all lovers of poetry.
July 8, 2016
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
Peripheries: Poems is a collection of poetry written by Don Gutteridge. His work is separated into three parts: Those Days, Presently and Miscellany. The first part celebrates the poet's childhood in Point Edward, Ontario. The topics of these poems concern school, adventures with his friends at play and at the beach, his father, uncle and grandfather, and the first stirrings of youthful interest in girls. The second section begins with an homage to his granddaughters, Rebecca and Katie, as they sit knitting, and his other grandchildren are also the subjects of poems. There are also a few commemorative poems for friends and relatives who have passed away included in this section. The final part covers, as the title indicates, an assortment of topics including poetry and writing, death, faith and remembrance.
Gutteridge's poems are free-verse and finely tuned; merging sound, sense and feeling all honed down and polished with gem-like perfection. I was instantly captivated by those poems dealing with his childhood. Peripheries is a feast for the senses from the "ooga-/ooga horn blaring/abroad" of Joie De Vivre to the warmth of an endless summer day: "we lay our lean bodies/on Canatara's sand/our blood humming in the/heat-haze, our eyes/shut tight against/the leavening light, our ears/alive with the soft tossing of the waves" from the poem entitled Having Been.
Gutteridge mingles sound and sense in his work, seen in Gloaming: "a half-strung ball/that sizzled when struck/by the cracked bat and floated/like a drunken dolphin til/someone, lad or lass,/interrupted its flight/and it fizzled in the dew-limn'd/grass a long way/ from home-plate, as the dark/deftly descended, and the moon/lurked aloft, a-glimmer/in the gloaming."
Each of these poems begs to be read aloud and savored, and then read again. I was entranced as the poet shared his memories so vividly and perfectly condensed. Peripheries is an extraordinary collection of poems that will be reverberating through my consciousness for some time to come. It's most highly recommended.
Peripheries: Poems is a collection of poetry written by Don Gutteridge. His work is separated into three parts: Those Days, Presently and Miscellany. The first part celebrates the poet's childhood in Point Edward, Ontario. The topics of these poems concern school, adventures with his friends at play and at the beach, his father, uncle and grandfather, and the first stirrings of youthful interest in girls. The second section begins with an homage to his granddaughters, Rebecca and Katie, as they sit knitting, and his other grandchildren are also the subjects of poems. There are also a few commemorative poems for friends and relatives who have passed away included in this section. The final part covers, as the title indicates, an assortment of topics including poetry and writing, death, faith and remembrance.
Gutteridge's poems are free-verse and finely tuned; merging sound, sense and feeling all honed down and polished with gem-like perfection. I was instantly captivated by those poems dealing with his childhood. Peripheries is a feast for the senses from the "ooga-/ooga horn blaring/abroad" of Joie De Vivre to the warmth of an endless summer day: "we lay our lean bodies/on Canatara's sand/our blood humming in the/heat-haze, our eyes/shut tight against/the leavening light, our ears/alive with the soft tossing of the waves" from the poem entitled Having Been.
Gutteridge mingles sound and sense in his work, seen in Gloaming: "a half-strung ball/that sizzled when struck/by the cracked bat and floated/like a drunken dolphin til/someone, lad or lass,/interrupted its flight/and it fizzled in the dew-limn'd/grass a long way/ from home-plate, as the dark/deftly descended, and the moon/lurked aloft, a-glimmer/in the gloaming."
Each of these poems begs to be read aloud and savored, and then read again. I was entranced as the poet shared his memories so vividly and perfectly condensed. Peripheries is an extraordinary collection of poems that will be reverberating through my consciousness for some time to come. It's most highly recommended.
April 15, 2016
Don Gutteridge’s Peripheries is a leisurely stroll through the “sun-softened days” of 1950’s youth in Southwestern, Ontario. Gutteridge is a staple of Ontario drama, writing and poetry. He accurately captures the shared memories and boyhood identities of what it is like to experience life and masculinity on “fair-skinned shoulders”, with “cavalier’s capes”, in Point Edward, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Huron and the St. Clair River. In his own words, “if he were a tree, he’d be an oak, tall and stalwart, grain running tender”! Step back in time through Peripheries’ pages.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews