The View from January

by Thomas Allbaugh

Tom Allbaugh’s poems ask questions. What is thankfulness? What is devotion? They move with grace—smooth as fish in an aquarium light through various scenes— a visit to the dentist, plane travel, writing letters, writing novels, Paul Bonfiglio’s South Side Sweets, a son stopped mid-flight. Diane Glancy, author of The Reason for Crows In The View from January, Thomas Allbaugh’s poems traverse icy Michigan and mild California, the airport and the hospital, meditating on our need for community and belonging even as environments grow strange. I admire Allbaugh’s craft, the way his sentences unfold down lines of varying lengths, the way he blends in alliteration, assonance, and off-rhyme to create an intricate and subtle sound play. These poems invite a rereading and deserve to be read aloud. There is a tenderness in them that makes them approachable, a sharpness in imagery that keeps them from being overly elusive. There is pain here. And there is joy. Like the collection’s closing image of robins sounding out both comfort and reassurance, these poems cry out to us, pleading to us, “See, we are not alone.” Derek Updegraff, author of Paintings That Look Like Things The View from January channels “the two-faced / deity lurking there behind / all our commerce” with poems that examine the past while envisioning futures both potential and impossible. These poems work with the precise clarity that comes along with deep grief. Allbaugh weaves loss and beauty together with threads of playfulness and connection, reminding readers again and again, “See, we are not alone.” Katie Manning, author of Tasty Othe r and editor-in-chief at Whale Road Review

42 pages, Paperback

Published January 13, 2020

About the author

I've been writing since the fourth grade, when my teacher allowed satire in our "What I Want for Christmas" stories. Today, I am convinced that writing is not just creating products, but more importantly an active way to reflect, discover new ideas, and process the world around us. I've managed to publish short fiction, essays, and poetry in a number of small journals. In "Apocalypse TV," my first novel, academic and popular culture collide in a Reality TV show explosion.

Reviews

[Kathleen Robison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book for quite some time, and the only reason I never finished it is because I enjoyed rereading the same poems over and over again. Thomas Allbaugh is a poet that reaches my soul. I can feel the nostalgia, grief, joy and pain in every piece and have embraced his words that have added such depth to my life. This book has become a permanent fixture in my cozy place. Thank you, Thomas Allbaugh, for sharing your heart.

[Jeremiah Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few words (of many) that describe my experience while reading “The View from January.” Nostalgia, reality, pain, conviction, reflection, awareness, perspective, spiritual...

These pages deserve to be read several times, and more importantly aloud. As I read aloud to my wife, Mr. Allbaugh’s words penetrated my soul, as if I had witnessed these moments personally.