Blackbird

by Laura Grace Weldon

This collection casts an uncommonly bright glow. In clear language these poems explore themes of connection and healing through subjects as unusual as cow pastures, dictionaries, to-do lists, and astrophysics. Beauty is revealed in what one reviewer calls "sacraments of the ordinary." Perfect for poetry lovers and those who haven't read a poem in years.
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A portion of all book royalties will be donated to the Medina Raptor Center, a non-profit center in Ohio which rescues, rehabilitates, and releases injured and orphaned birds.


I admire and learn from Laura Grace Weldon's writing. Her poems blossom from an inherent curiosity and grow strong under her compassionate treatment of the subject matter. Such fresh images and heartfelt insights move me to be a better writer. -Susan F. Glassmeyer, author of Invisible Fish

When I take a few moments to read a Laura Grace Weldon poem, the sun comes out in my heart, and I know that the earth, for all its pain, is bathed in goodness.
-Alfred K. LaMotte, author of Savoring Eternity.

The miraculous, the heartbreaking, the beautiful are always right in front of us, disguised as the daily messiness of our lives. I finished Blackbird and took a long winter walk through the park, seeing the world with fresher, keener eyes, and a feeling of gratitude. -George Bilgere, author of Blood Pages

Laura Grace Weldon invites us to engage our third eye, to truly examine "light in a window / laundry flapping defiantly on the line." With words intimate and lush, she guides us to spaces we pass by, take for granted, overlook in our super-charged lives. -Kari Gunter-Seymour, author of Serving

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2019

About the author

Laura Grace Weldon is the author of the poetry collections Portals (Middle Creek, 2021), Blackbird (Grayson Books, 2019), and Tending (Aldrich Press, 2013), as well as a handbook of alternative education, Free Range Learning (Hohm Press, 2010).

She lives on Bit of Earth Farm where she works as an editor, community educator, and marginally useful farm wench. Her writing appears in mainstream as well as literary publications, and she blogs about learning and mindful living at Relentless Optimism. She's Laura Euphoria on Pinterest. She's EarnestDrollery on Twitter. And she's on Facebook too often.

Reviews

[Virginia Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of new poems by Laura Grace Weldon, titled Blackbird, is a gem. Her imagery is grounded and evocative. Real life unfolds here in ways that give poignant hope to the paradoxes of our lives. These truth-telling poems of tender scenes will stay in the memory for years to come.

[Kim Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved so many poems in this collection that it was hard to know which one to speak about in a review. By turns this collection made me laugh, feel wistful, get in touch with half-forgotten memories, and at one point, I just set the book down, completely gob-smacked. I really enjoy poetry, but I have little patience for poetry that makes me feel stupid. Laura's poems never do that. They have a fresh straightforwardness that makes them relatable, and at the same time they have multiple layers to dive into. Here's an example of one that grabbed me from the first line. In "Assembly Required" the poem opens with "I just need a new body / my mother used to say / as if she could unscrew her head...". How can the reader not keep reading? Where is this one going? Well, with this poet, it will be somewhere interesting, thought provoking, wonder-full. The whole book is worth owning just to read (and re-read) "Compost Happens". That was the gob-smacker for me.

[Ellen Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book of poetry to read and then put away on the bookshelf. This is a leave on your nightstand/coffee table or take with you wherever you go kind of book. You'll want to come back to it whenever you need inspiration, or to re-read that one perfect line that speaks to you, again and again. Each times you pick it up, let your eyes linger a moment on the cover, an image that hints at what's inside: grace, beauty, a bit of darkness, a stark and honest take on the natural world and the human condition. Laura's poetry is relatable and speaks to the commonality we all share. In one of my favorites, "Moving Day," she writes, "On each surface our fingerprints linger. They are too light to pack/too heavy to carry." As someone who moved frequently throughout my life, I allow myself to believe this poem was written for me. You will find yourself in these pages, too.

[Nancy Jentsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book of poetry to return to time and time again. Laura Grace has the gift of presenting the profound in the everyday events of life we share. (Maybe I feel a special connection, since we both raise chickens!) I loved so many of the poems, it would be hard to choose a favorite.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nourishing & soul-felt vignettes.