What do you think?
Rate this book
The Heart's Necessities: Life in Poetry
What are the heart’s necessities?
It’s a question Jane Tyson Clement (1917–2000) asked herself over and over, both in her poetry and in the way she lived. Her observation of the seasons of the soul and of the natural world have made her poems beloved to many readers, most recently singer-songwriter Becca Stevens, who has given Clement’s poetry new life – and a new audience – as lyrics in her songs. This book interweaves Clement’s best poems with the story of her life, and with commentary by Stevens describing how specific poems speak to her own life, passions, and creative process.
Like many great poets, from Emily Dickinson to Gerard Manley Hopkins, Jane Tyson Clement (1917–2000) has found more readers since her death than in her lifetime. A new generation that prizes honesty and authenticity is finding in Clement – a restless, questing soul with a life as compelling as her art – a voice that expresses their own deepest feelings, values, and desires.
In this attractive coffee table collection of new and selected poems, editor Veery Huleatt complements Clement’s poetry with narrative sketches and scrapbook visuals to weave a biography of this remarkable woman who took the road less traveled, choosing justice over comfort, conviction over career, and love over fame.
It’s a question Jane Tyson Clement (1917–2000) asked herself over and over, both in her poetry and in the way she lived. Her observation of the seasons of the soul and of the natural world have made her poems beloved to many readers, most recently singer-songwriter Becca Stevens, who has given Clement’s poetry new life – and a new audience – as lyrics in her songs. This book interweaves Clement’s best poems with the story of her life, and with commentary by Stevens describing how specific poems speak to her own life, passions, and creative process.
Like many great poets, from Emily Dickinson to Gerard Manley Hopkins, Jane Tyson Clement (1917–2000) has found more readers since her death than in her lifetime. A new generation that prizes honesty and authenticity is finding in Clement – a restless, questing soul with a life as compelling as her art – a voice that expresses their own deepest feelings, values, and desires.
In this attractive coffee table collection of new and selected poems, editor Veery Huleatt complements Clement’s poetry with narrative sketches and scrapbook visuals to weave a biography of this remarkable woman who took the road less traveled, choosing justice over comfort, conviction over career, and love over fame.
160 pages, Paperback
Published April 8, 2018
2 people are currently reading
553 people want to read
About the author
Jane Tyson Clement
11 books24 followersPoet and writer Jane Tyson Clement grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. But she always preferred Bay Head, New Jersey where her family owned a summer house. “There was something eternal about it that was always a rock and an anchor for me.” Jane earned an English degree at Smith College and married Robert Clement, a Quaker attorney. Together they sought for meaning in life and an answer to social injustice. They eventually joined the Bruderhof, a Christian community. (www.bruderhof.com ) Jane taught school and raised a family, but her unquenchable thirst for justice, and for the wonders and mysteries that lie hidden in nature, kept her restless. Her poetry and short stories mirror this lifelong quest for truth and wholeness.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 24, 2019
Summary. A collection of the poetry of Jane Tyson Clement, a member of the Bruderhof Community, interleaved with biography and comments by musician Becca Stevens, who has set several of Clement's works to music.
Jane Tyson Clement grew up in the shadow of Columbia, began writing poetry in high school and went to Smith College. Like many, she lost and then recovered her faith. She married in the shadow of World War II, to Robert, a lawyer. Both pacifists, they eventually found their way to the Bruderhof communities where they lived the rest of their lives. Some of Jane's poetry was published during her lifetime. More of it was found after her death from Alzheimer's disease in 2000.
This newly published work offers a sampling of her poetry throughout her life combined with biography, and the comments of Becca Stevens. Becca is a musician who found in Clement's Winter and February Thaw the words she was searching for to express grief for Kenya Tillery, a musical collaborator lost to breast cancer. Both of these works appear in this volume and one can listen to the song, Tillery, and four other settings of Clement's poems at Songs for The Heart's Necessities.
One of the marks of Clement's poem is the keen observation of nature--the sea, birds, trees, the seasons--and the whispers of the transcendent that we overhear in her poems, speaking to or echoing the heart's longings. The lines from which the book finds its title, in the poem Winter, are a good example:
The heart’s necessities
include the interlude
of frost restricted peace
on which the sun can brood.
Manasquan Inlet II is one of her last poems, and she is still connecting the ebb and flow of the tides and the "powers beyond our ken":
No one can stem the tide; now watch it run
to meet the river pouring to the sea!
And in the meeting tumult what a play
of waves and twinkling water in the sun!
Ordained by powers beyond our ken
beyond all wisdom, all our trickery,
immutable it comes, it sweeps, it ebbs
and clears the filthiness and froth of men.
Some of the most moving poems in this collection are the "To R.A.C." poems, written to Robert, her future husband. She traces the growth of their love from her first recognition of him, and she believes, he of her, to be followed by him walking out the door. We listen as they share their love of the world's beauty while their own love is growing. We hear her struggling with whether her love is some constructed thing, as she writes, "I will remember you not as you are/but as I willed you were."
Her later poems testify to her deepening faith, and are often piercing in insight. Lord, Show Me Thyself speaks to our longings for God, and yet how unprepared we are when God actually shows up and we are faced with the choice of whether we will "stand and open wide/the doors of being to thy light." She describes many of us, the respectable sinners, in Resolve as she declares, "My sins are inward and refined, my friends the gentle friends of God; I must go seek the publicans, the wild companions of my Lord."
Becca Stevens strikes me as one of many who are the "spiritual but not religious," one of those sometimes called a "none." Yet the poetry of Jane speaks deeply to her, and perhaps illustrates how more may be drawn to authentic beauty than persuasive attempts. She observes that "Jane has a rare ability to talk about God, spirituality, and faith in a way anyone can relate to--not in an alienating way....She looks to the movements of birds, the sea, and the seasons to answer her unresolved struggles with faith."
For that reason, Stevens involvement in this book seems to work. She doesn't impose interpretations upon us so much as let us hear her own musings on Clement's work. Her contributions allow us catch our breath after drinking deeply as we read the poetry. Interspersed biography helps us understand the settings of poems from different periods. The photography combines some of the places Jane Tyson Clement would have frequented and the creative process of Becca Stevens. All in all, it is exquisitely done. This book makes a wonderful gift to a friend, or to oneself, inviting us all to ponder "the heart's necessities."
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Jane Tyson Clement grew up in the shadow of Columbia, began writing poetry in high school and went to Smith College. Like many, she lost and then recovered her faith. She married in the shadow of World War II, to Robert, a lawyer. Both pacifists, they eventually found their way to the Bruderhof communities where they lived the rest of their lives. Some of Jane's poetry was published during her lifetime. More of it was found after her death from Alzheimer's disease in 2000.
This newly published work offers a sampling of her poetry throughout her life combined with biography, and the comments of Becca Stevens. Becca is a musician who found in Clement's Winter and February Thaw the words she was searching for to express grief for Kenya Tillery, a musical collaborator lost to breast cancer. Both of these works appear in this volume and one can listen to the song, Tillery, and four other settings of Clement's poems at Songs for The Heart's Necessities.
One of the marks of Clement's poem is the keen observation of nature--the sea, birds, trees, the seasons--and the whispers of the transcendent that we overhear in her poems, speaking to or echoing the heart's longings. The lines from which the book finds its title, in the poem Winter, are a good example:
The heart’s necessities
include the interlude
of frost restricted peace
on which the sun can brood.
Manasquan Inlet II is one of her last poems, and she is still connecting the ebb and flow of the tides and the "powers beyond our ken":
No one can stem the tide; now watch it run
to meet the river pouring to the sea!
And in the meeting tumult what a play
of waves and twinkling water in the sun!
Ordained by powers beyond our ken
beyond all wisdom, all our trickery,
immutable it comes, it sweeps, it ebbs
and clears the filthiness and froth of men.
Some of the most moving poems in this collection are the "To R.A.C." poems, written to Robert, her future husband. She traces the growth of their love from her first recognition of him, and she believes, he of her, to be followed by him walking out the door. We listen as they share their love of the world's beauty while their own love is growing. We hear her struggling with whether her love is some constructed thing, as she writes, "I will remember you not as you are/but as I willed you were."
Her later poems testify to her deepening faith, and are often piercing in insight. Lord, Show Me Thyself speaks to our longings for God, and yet how unprepared we are when God actually shows up and we are faced with the choice of whether we will "stand and open wide/the doors of being to thy light." She describes many of us, the respectable sinners, in Resolve as she declares, "My sins are inward and refined, my friends the gentle friends of God; I must go seek the publicans, the wild companions of my Lord."
Becca Stevens strikes me as one of many who are the "spiritual but not religious," one of those sometimes called a "none." Yet the poetry of Jane speaks deeply to her, and perhaps illustrates how more may be drawn to authentic beauty than persuasive attempts. She observes that "Jane has a rare ability to talk about God, spirituality, and faith in a way anyone can relate to--not in an alienating way....She looks to the movements of birds, the sea, and the seasons to answer her unresolved struggles with faith."
For that reason, Stevens involvement in this book seems to work. She doesn't impose interpretations upon us so much as let us hear her own musings on Clement's work. Her contributions allow us catch our breath after drinking deeply as we read the poetry. Interspersed biography helps us understand the settings of poems from different periods. The photography combines some of the places Jane Tyson Clement would have frequented and the creative process of Becca Stevens. All in all, it is exquisitely done. This book makes a wonderful gift to a friend, or to oneself, inviting us all to ponder "the heart's necessities."
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
March 16, 2019
I recently finished reading The Heart’s Necessities: Life in Poetry by Jane Tyson Clement and Becca Stevens. It shares the story of Jane Tyson Clement’s life, which was woven throughout with poetry.
She began writing poems as a teenager, and that is the way she seemed to best express herself. As a young woman, she married, had children, and, for a season, moved from the States to a Bruderhof community in South America. Jane was a lively teacher and a loving wife and mother, who always had poems singing through her head and heart. Her poetry was wound up in Nature and in the intricacies of her daily life.
Becca Stevens is a songwriter who has been influenced by Jane’s poems and wanted to share these quiet and beautiful gems with the world. She wrote the book with a chapter on Jane’s life, interspersed with snippets of poetry, lovely photos of nature, several poems at the end of each chapter, followed by Becca’s reflections on Jane’s life and poetry.
This book would make a wonderful gift for a poetry lover or songwriter, or for anyone longing for a glimpse at how the ordinary life is transformed through poetry.
She began writing poems as a teenager, and that is the way she seemed to best express herself. As a young woman, she married, had children, and, for a season, moved from the States to a Bruderhof community in South America. Jane was a lively teacher and a loving wife and mother, who always had poems singing through her head and heart. Her poetry was wound up in Nature and in the intricacies of her daily life.
Becca Stevens is a songwriter who has been influenced by Jane’s poems and wanted to share these quiet and beautiful gems with the world. She wrote the book with a chapter on Jane’s life, interspersed with snippets of poetry, lovely photos of nature, several poems at the end of each chapter, followed by Becca’s reflections on Jane’s life and poetry.
This book would make a wonderful gift for a poetry lover or songwriter, or for anyone longing for a glimpse at how the ordinary life is transformed through poetry.
April 22, 2019
"The Heart's Necessities" is a beautifully-realized volume of words and images celebrating the life and works of poet Jane Tyson Clement (1917–2000). Interspersed among Ms. Clements poems and life story are photographs--some vintage and sepia-toned--others are richly-hued and from present day. Ms.Clement's voice is not the only one heard here through words which resonate with the reader. Singer-songwriter Becca Stevens has blended the poet's work with her own, adapting poems into song lyrics and setting them to music. Some of my favorite titles here include: "Summer Night Storm"; "Now That My Love Has Come"; "Autumn Sketch"; and "January Song". "The Heart's Necessities" is a lovely collaboration of two gifted women from different generations and equal talents.
Book Copy Gratis Plough Publicity
Book Copy Gratis Plough Publicity
February 3, 2019
A title, THE HEART'S NECESSITIES, is set on an amazing
background of pictures that are uniquely disperced throughout
the story of beautifully written poetry. Some are so sad and
others let the reader know of happier days long gone by.
Take for instance, one of these beautiful poems that lifted me
up after I read it was titled, CHRIST THE SHEPHERD. Wonderfully
written and is something that the eye will truly and surprisingly
love to see. And, along with the ending a picture that, once the
reader looks upon it would see, and in order to get the amazing
effect of a beautiful life, and person that would have been a blessing
to get to know. I think the last picture and the poem titled, MANASQUAN INLET
II, go hand-in-hand to make a remarkable meaning. Great book of poetry.
Beautiful pictures. Especially the ending.
background of pictures that are uniquely disperced throughout
the story of beautifully written poetry. Some are so sad and
others let the reader know of happier days long gone by.
Take for instance, one of these beautiful poems that lifted me
up after I read it was titled, CHRIST THE SHEPHERD. Wonderfully
written and is something that the eye will truly and surprisingly
love to see. And, along with the ending a picture that, once the
reader looks upon it would see, and in order to get the amazing
effect of a beautiful life, and person that would have been a blessing
to get to know. I think the last picture and the poem titled, MANASQUAN INLET
II, go hand-in-hand to make a remarkable meaning. Great book of poetry.
Beautiful pictures. Especially the ending.
July 22, 2019
A wonderful book filled with stunning poetry, prose, and photography. I've long been a fan of Jane Tyson Clement's poetry and so this book with her poetry interwoven with her life's story (by singer songwriter Becca Stevens) and photographs by Clement's son Tim was a joy to my heart. I read it straight through the day I received it and keep it on my desk for inspiration and motivation. I shared her poem "Bird on a Bare Branch" yesterday (July 21) in Meeting for Worship with my fellow Friends (Quakers).
Bird on the bare branch,
Flinging your frail song
on the bleak air,
tenuous and brave –
like love in a bleak world,
and, like love,
pierced
with everlastingness.
O praise
that we too
may be struck through with light,
may shatter the barren cold
with pure melody
and sing
for Thy sake
till the hills are lit with love
and the deserts come to bloom.
Read this book -- it'll do your soul good.
Bird on the bare branch,
Flinging your frail song
on the bleak air,
tenuous and brave –
like love in a bleak world,
and, like love,
pierced
with everlastingness.
O praise
that we too
may be struck through with light,
may shatter the barren cold
with pure melody
and sing
for Thy sake
till the hills are lit with love
and the deserts come to bloom.
Read this book -- it'll do your soul good.
April 30, 2019
An absolutely lovely book an ode to Jane Tyson Clemente work a book full of poetry words sepia photographs with the authors own work threaded in.A book Inwill enjoynlooking at again& again .
October 21, 2019
What a lovely, lovely read! Admittedly, it took me a bit to get into the gentle rhythm of this intersection of mid-twentieth-century poems, biographic material, and current singer-songwriter reflections. Approach this lovely read with a gentle, open perspective and you will be richly rewarded.
February 5, 2019
At its heart, this is a collection of the poems of Jane Tyson Clement, who lived from 1917 to 2000, but there’s more going on in the book than the poetry. As the subtitle, “A Life in Poetry,” hints, the poems range over the almost sixty-year writing career of this author and poet. Having a selection of verse that runs from Clement’s teenage years into her seventies, offers the reader an opportunity to watch the growth of this poet and to see how the dictates of life influenced the style and content of her poems. The poems cover a range of topics, including: relationships, art, and nature. I found the nature poems particularly evocative, but they are all skillfully composed and endearing. Also, it should be noted that the Prelude and commentaries were presented by a musician and songwriter, Becca Stevens, and her interest skews to the artistically oriented works. While I’ll discuss at length how these poems were spread across the life of a little known but skillful 20th century poet, I should point out that the poems don’t feel dated or obsolete. Dealing in fundamental issues of humanity, the selections have aged well.
The collection is divided into five chapters. There is a roughly chronological progression to the collection, but chronology isn’t strictly followed in favor of supporting each chapter’s theme. (Though the themes are informed by what was going on in the poet’s life during various points.) The first chapter presents poems written between 1935 and 1939 (age 18 to 22.) The second picks up in 1939 and while it ends on a poem from 1953, mostly covers a period to 1941. Chapter three includes selections from 1940 to 1953 (ages 23 to 36.) The penultimate chapter includes poems from 1954 and 1955. The last chapter is stretched out from 1955 to 1991 with much less temporal density to the poems than is seen in earlier chapters.
I said in the introductory paragraph that there was more going on than the poems. Here I’ll discuss what these ancillary additions were, ranging from what I found to be most to least beneficial to the work overall. First, there are photographs throughout the book that are warm, heavily oriented toward nautical-coastal themes, and which create a retro vibe appropriate to a book on the life of a twentieth century poet. Besides the coastal and nautical photographs, there are many that revolve around music, including photos of Stevens but also more artsy still-lifes.
Second, each chapter begins with a brief biographical statement of where Tyson Clement was at during the period in question in terms of relationships, family, religious beliefs, where she was living, and what else was occupying her time besides poetry writing. It was interesting to see what was going on with the poet as she was composing the selected works.
Finally, there are commentaries interspersed amid the poems here and there, presented as though Becca Stevens is letting the reader into her head as she ruminates on some of the poems. At this point I’ll confess my own bias. I’m not a big fan of commentaries in poetry collections. There is a famous saying by E.B. White about humor that I think equally applies to poetry: “Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.” I’m not saying that Stevens didn’t offer insight, particularly related to her life as a musical artist. She is certainly articulate and thoughtful. Still, I think commentary detracts from the poetry reading experience by overwriting what the reader takes from a piece with the commentator’s thoughts. But, your mileage may vary.
I would recommend this work for poetry readers. The poems are evocative and the language is beautiful. The poems are readable and have aged well.
The collection is divided into five chapters. There is a roughly chronological progression to the collection, but chronology isn’t strictly followed in favor of supporting each chapter’s theme. (Though the themes are informed by what was going on in the poet’s life during various points.) The first chapter presents poems written between 1935 and 1939 (age 18 to 22.) The second picks up in 1939 and while it ends on a poem from 1953, mostly covers a period to 1941. Chapter three includes selections from 1940 to 1953 (ages 23 to 36.) The penultimate chapter includes poems from 1954 and 1955. The last chapter is stretched out from 1955 to 1991 with much less temporal density to the poems than is seen in earlier chapters.
I said in the introductory paragraph that there was more going on than the poems. Here I’ll discuss what these ancillary additions were, ranging from what I found to be most to least beneficial to the work overall. First, there are photographs throughout the book that are warm, heavily oriented toward nautical-coastal themes, and which create a retro vibe appropriate to a book on the life of a twentieth century poet. Besides the coastal and nautical photographs, there are many that revolve around music, including photos of Stevens but also more artsy still-lifes.
Second, each chapter begins with a brief biographical statement of where Tyson Clement was at during the period in question in terms of relationships, family, religious beliefs, where she was living, and what else was occupying her time besides poetry writing. It was interesting to see what was going on with the poet as she was composing the selected works.
Finally, there are commentaries interspersed amid the poems here and there, presented as though Becca Stevens is letting the reader into her head as she ruminates on some of the poems. At this point I’ll confess my own bias. I’m not a big fan of commentaries in poetry collections. There is a famous saying by E.B. White about humor that I think equally applies to poetry: “Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.” I’m not saying that Stevens didn’t offer insight, particularly related to her life as a musical artist. She is certainly articulate and thoughtful. Still, I think commentary detracts from the poetry reading experience by overwriting what the reader takes from a piece with the commentator’s thoughts. But, your mileage may vary.
I would recommend this work for poetry readers. The poems are evocative and the language is beautiful. The poems are readable and have aged well.
March 16, 2019
Review by Judith Robinson
The Heart’s Necessities Life in Poetry presents poems from 1935 to 1991 by Jane Tyson Clement against a background of her life and work. Throughout the volume, the young, acclaimed musician Becca Stevens discusses the poems that have influenced her as a song writer and performer, beginning with her composition “Tillery” that combines Jane’s poem “Winter” with Becca’s music (see You Tube, Bruderhof to Brooklyn. A Poem’s Journey). This layered collection explores timeless themes and the power of creativity in two women artists across genres and generations.
Jane’s poetic voice at times seems quiet and restrained in our unquiet time, but her imagery that continues to draw on natural elements such as the sea and wind suggests a passionate response to powerful forces developing within her as a woman and poet. Her rich interiority depends on entering “my sound / the sound of silence,” the place of reflection that nurtured the creativity that claimed an essential part of her life filled with other callings as well. Her repeated images of darkness and light take on new and deeper meanings as her poetry shows her movement from god in nature to God in the world, and to God beyond the world.
Her deceptively simple style that is largely centered on the beauty and mystery of nature leads the reader to reflect on the un-natural world often devoid of beauty and filled with despair and finds that the poet confirms the weight of estrangement and suffering that can overwhelm our perceptions. As a young poet, Jane vows to “fight” to become a poet but struggles when it seems that “Words are a symbol of a mind’s defeat” even as words continue to express her private yearnings and questions.
The scope of her mature poems finds words for the starving child, the homeless, and the imprisoned resulting from our shared failings: “We still pluck the Apple, / we still hide / when God walks in the Garden.” Yet her poem “Resolve” chooses to expand her vision that refutes complacency: “My sins are gentle and refined, / my friends the gentle friends of God; / I must go seek the publicans, / the wild companions of my Lord.” This collection reminds us of the need for reflection in artists and those who experience their art. It also illuminates how the voices and gifts of artists across time can speak to young artists’ own creativity as they continue to expand our individual and communal vision in new ways.
The Heart’s Necessities Life in Poetry presents poems from 1935 to 1991 by Jane Tyson Clement against a background of her life and work. Throughout the volume, the young, acclaimed musician Becca Stevens discusses the poems that have influenced her as a song writer and performer, beginning with her composition “Tillery” that combines Jane’s poem “Winter” with Becca’s music (see You Tube, Bruderhof to Brooklyn. A Poem’s Journey). This layered collection explores timeless themes and the power of creativity in two women artists across genres and generations.
Jane’s poetic voice at times seems quiet and restrained in our unquiet time, but her imagery that continues to draw on natural elements such as the sea and wind suggests a passionate response to powerful forces developing within her as a woman and poet. Her rich interiority depends on entering “my sound / the sound of silence,” the place of reflection that nurtured the creativity that claimed an essential part of her life filled with other callings as well. Her repeated images of darkness and light take on new and deeper meanings as her poetry shows her movement from god in nature to God in the world, and to God beyond the world.
Her deceptively simple style that is largely centered on the beauty and mystery of nature leads the reader to reflect on the un-natural world often devoid of beauty and filled with despair and finds that the poet confirms the weight of estrangement and suffering that can overwhelm our perceptions. As a young poet, Jane vows to “fight” to become a poet but struggles when it seems that “Words are a symbol of a mind’s defeat” even as words continue to express her private yearnings and questions.
The scope of her mature poems finds words for the starving child, the homeless, and the imprisoned resulting from our shared failings: “We still pluck the Apple, / we still hide / when God walks in the Garden.” Yet her poem “Resolve” chooses to expand her vision that refutes complacency: “My sins are gentle and refined, / my friends the gentle friends of God; / I must go seek the publicans, / the wild companions of my Lord.” This collection reminds us of the need for reflection in artists and those who experience their art. It also illuminates how the voices and gifts of artists across time can speak to young artists’ own creativity as they continue to expand our individual and communal vision in new ways.
April 27, 2019
Before I read this book and was simply paging through it my first impression was, "What a beautiful coffee table book." Interspersed among the poetry are beautiful and thoughtful photographs. The book's author, jazz singer/songwriter Becca Stevens, interweaves selected poems by Jane Tyson Clement (1917-2000) with her own commentary. The poems are mostly in chronological order and Becca adds notes about Clement's life at the time she wrote the poems, adding context to Clement's writing. Becca also describes how certain poems have impacted her life and songwriting. While poetry is very subjective in interpretation, I found Becca's comments interesting.
I was unfamiliar with Jane Tyson Clement's work prior to reading this book. I found her poetry universal in its relevancy. Clement captures both human emotions and descriptions of nature in ways that ring true and clear. Its difficult to pick my favorite poems, as so many tugged at my heart. However, "Sea Echo" and "Winter" from Clement's middle years and "Lollipop Day" from her later years are poems I find myself re-reading again and again. Lollipop Day is a wonderful reminder to make the most of every moment of every day.
This book is one I think readers will want to gift to others and also keep as a part of their permanent home library.
I thank Plough Publishing for sending me early galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was unfamiliar with Jane Tyson Clement's work prior to reading this book. I found her poetry universal in its relevancy. Clement captures both human emotions and descriptions of nature in ways that ring true and clear. Its difficult to pick my favorite poems, as so many tugged at my heart. However, "Sea Echo" and "Winter" from Clement's middle years and "Lollipop Day" from her later years are poems I find myself re-reading again and again. Lollipop Day is a wonderful reminder to make the most of every moment of every day.
This book is one I think readers will want to gift to others and also keep as a part of their permanent home library.
I thank Plough Publishing for sending me early galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 2, 2019
The Heart’s Necessities, by Jane Tyson Clement and Becca Stevens, is a collection of Clement’s poetry and is interspersed with biographical commentary by Ms. Stevens. The selected poems are centered on the daily observations of life and nature. As such, they are an excellent complement to the biography.
In this lovely collection of poems there is also pictures from the poet’s life as well as images inspired by her work and pictures of Ms. Stevens. Although, the poems themselves is what I truly loved about this book. It was obvious to me from the beginning that Ms. Clement is gifted and her verse covers a wide range of topics from her relationship with her husband (there is a whole section dedicated to poems written for, and about, him) to those about nature.
Some of the poems were more straight forward and some more complex; however, all contained beautiful imagery. One of my favorites was from early in her life. It is titled,” It Was the Simplest Thing” I loved the opening and how it conveyed such longing even though the poems states otherwise. Another poem I enjoyed, and every writer should read, was titled “Writer’s (Abdominal) Cramp”. In a few short verses it told of such frustration with writing and how she had grown quite ill with it. I had to smile when I read that one!
It was a real pleasure to read this collection. Before this, I was not familiar with this poet. I am very glad to have been introduced to her work and know I will read more by her in the future. I highly recommend this collection to all lovers of poetry.
I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review. For more of my reviews, and author interviews, see my blog at www.thespineview.com.
In this lovely collection of poems there is also pictures from the poet’s life as well as images inspired by her work and pictures of Ms. Stevens. Although, the poems themselves is what I truly loved about this book. It was obvious to me from the beginning that Ms. Clement is gifted and her verse covers a wide range of topics from her relationship with her husband (there is a whole section dedicated to poems written for, and about, him) to those about nature.
Some of the poems were more straight forward and some more complex; however, all contained beautiful imagery. One of my favorites was from early in her life. It is titled,” It Was the Simplest Thing” I loved the opening and how it conveyed such longing even though the poems states otherwise. Another poem I enjoyed, and every writer should read, was titled “Writer’s (Abdominal) Cramp”. In a few short verses it told of such frustration with writing and how she had grown quite ill with it. I had to smile when I read that one!
It was a real pleasure to read this collection. Before this, I was not familiar with this poet. I am very glad to have been introduced to her work and know I will read more by her in the future. I highly recommend this collection to all lovers of poetry.
I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review. For more of my reviews, and author interviews, see my blog at www.thespineview.com.
April 1, 2019
Jazz musician Becca Stevens selected the poems for this unique collection and provides commentary on both the verses and the life of poet Jane Tyson Clement (1917-2000). Clement found inspiration in nature. The title refers to her belief that the heart must experience negative feelings to appreciate the positive. She is able to enjoy the wheeling flight of gulls despite their raucous calls. My favorite metaphor is her description of fireflies as "nature's chandelier".
Unstintingly honest, Clement confesses to finding her own creations off-putting at times. (Haven't we all?) In the poem "Writer's (Abdominal) Cramp", she comments, "for I have grown quite ill/ with eating of the food my pen does grill." Despite her caution, this is a meal you will relish.
Becca Stevens has set some of the poems to music. Enhance your enjoyment of this unique volume by listening to her perform at plough.com/jtc-songs.
Unstintingly honest, Clement confesses to finding her own creations off-putting at times. (Haven't we all?) In the poem "Writer's (Abdominal) Cramp", she comments, "for I have grown quite ill/ with eating of the food my pen does grill." Despite her caution, this is a meal you will relish.
Becca Stevens has set some of the poems to music. Enhance your enjoyment of this unique volume by listening to her perform at plough.com/jtc-songs.
April 30, 2019
This is a beautiful book that includes poetry by Jane Tyson Clement. Something that really sets this book apart from other collections of poetry is the inclusion of narrative information by musician/songwriter Becca Stevens. Stevens explains how exposure to Clement's work helped unlock and expand her own creative process. Stevens also discusses Clement's writing process for many of the poems within the book. The poems are touching, enlightening, and provide insight into whatever the reader wants to interpret, quite frankly. With many, it seems to be a look into the greater work of a higher power. With others, it's the ever expanding reach of nature. Whatever view the reader might take, the poems are sure to have an effect.
Stevens also provides a link to listen to the songs she created using three of Clement's poems.
Stevens also provides a link to listen to the songs she created using three of Clement's poems.
April 2, 2019
Beautifully written poetry, where anyone could understand - All the feelings & mysteries of her life is explained in the writing - And now some of the poems are being turned into songs - this is a book, I will read over & over.
April 5, 2019
Absolutely gorgeous. Tears and smiles. Perfect.
April 30, 2019
Such a beautiful tribute to Jane Clement and Becca Stevens! In a way it was also a "living will" of the two in this heartfelt poetic book! I really enjoyed the life stories of Clement and Stevens and the poetry and songs that drew them together! Lovely book!
November 16, 2019
What a powerful book!!
I did not rush through this book but savored a little each morning as part of my devotional.
I past of it while I was also reading Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan.
Joy Davidman Lewis and Jane Tyson Clement lived at the same time. I saw many similarities in their writings and in their lives.
A book I did not expect to like nut enjoyed tremendously.
I did not rush through this book but savored a little each morning as part of my devotional.
I past of it while I was also reading Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan.
Joy Davidman Lewis and Jane Tyson Clement lived at the same time. I saw many similarities in their writings and in their lives.
A book I did not expect to like nut enjoyed tremendously.
October 2, 2019
Lovely poems.
April 5, 2019
I fell in love with Jane Tyson Clement’s poetry the first time I held it in my hand. Then I opened it and read the soft, soothing words she’d written that perfectly mimic the seaside she loved so well. I read them over and over, a warm comfort in any season.
Reading The Heart’s Necessities just gave me more reasons to love Jane Tyson Clement.
Becca Steven’s collection of Clement’s poetry with the addition of lovely photographs taken by Clement’s son would be delightful in and of itself. Stevens added to this her own stories and reflections on Clements poems as well as biographical information on Clement. Knowing more about Clement’s life only deepened the meaning of the poetry I already loved.
Being a native Jersey Girl who spent summer vacations at the Jersey Shore, it’s no wonder that I immediately fell in love with Clement’s poetry. Now, in a collection that includes snapshots of the beaches I wandered as a child with the words I’ve come to cherish as an adult, Stevens has captured all I loved about Clement in an endearing love letter for us all to treasure.
Reading The Heart’s Necessities just gave me more reasons to love Jane Tyson Clement.
Becca Steven’s collection of Clement’s poetry with the addition of lovely photographs taken by Clement’s son would be delightful in and of itself. Stevens added to this her own stories and reflections on Clements poems as well as biographical information on Clement. Knowing more about Clement’s life only deepened the meaning of the poetry I already loved.
Being a native Jersey Girl who spent summer vacations at the Jersey Shore, it’s no wonder that I immediately fell in love with Clement’s poetry. Now, in a collection that includes snapshots of the beaches I wandered as a child with the words I’ve come to cherish as an adult, Stevens has captured all I loved about Clement in an endearing love letter for us all to treasure.
May 11, 2019
I'd never ready Jane Tyson Clement's poetry before this, but this collection interspersed with biographical commentary by Becca Stevens is a lovely compilation of observations about life and nature. The photos and illustrations really add to the enjoyment of this soothing read.
May 10, 2019
An interesting read, not into poetry itself, but enjoyed the mixture of poems and bio plus the insight of the poems by a current poet. Kind of a three person perspective
October 8, 2020
The Heart's Necessities is a three-part book. First, it is a selected collection of poems by Jane Tyson Clement. Clement, a Smith College graduate, became a poet, playwright, and author. Although from a privileged background, she became involved in social justice and she and her husband joined the Bruderhof community. Her poetry, in this collection, centers on nature and its beauty. There is an underlining spirituality in writing complimenting the natural world. The poetry is simple yet beautiful in its form and message reminiscent of Romanticism.
Secondly, the book is a biography of the poet. Written by Becca Stevens, she centers on the life and accomplishments of Clement. Clement's work with the Bruderhof community is documented as well as the stages of her life. Clement seems to be one of the rare people whose devotion could be felt with her presence rather than her words. The third part consists of notes by Stevens describing the poems or putting them context. These are easily separated from the rest of the text because of the color of the ink used. The collection is also illustrated with photos of nature, Stevens, and Clement.
The book has the appearance of a modern devotional from the cover photo to the tint of the pages. The color photographs support the messages of the poetry and the grandeur of nature. The impression of a devotional not only describes the poet's work but also her influence. She inspired the music of the author Becca Stevens which made this book possible and opened the poetry of Clement to a new and younger audience.
Secondly, the book is a biography of the poet. Written by Becca Stevens, she centers on the life and accomplishments of Clement. Clement's work with the Bruderhof community is documented as well as the stages of her life. Clement seems to be one of the rare people whose devotion could be felt with her presence rather than her words. The third part consists of notes by Stevens describing the poems or putting them context. These are easily separated from the rest of the text because of the color of the ink used. The collection is also illustrated with photos of nature, Stevens, and Clement.
The book has the appearance of a modern devotional from the cover photo to the tint of the pages. The color photographs support the messages of the poetry and the grandeur of nature. The impression of a devotional not only describes the poet's work but also her influence. She inspired the music of the author Becca Stevens which made this book possible and opened the poetry of Clement to a new and younger audience.
January 20, 2020
Loved every blissfull second of this read. Jane Tyson Clement's poetry is an elixir.
January 21, 2020
The poet, Jane Tyson Clement, was a true artist and knew her medium. Her poems come from the heart. They spoke to me, more than any other poetry I've read till now.
December 10, 2025
Oh faultless dark
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews