Some Jazz a While: Collected Poems

by Miller Williams

Treats the mundane interchanges, the lingering uncertainties, the missed opportunities, and the familiar sense of loss that mark daily life with the surgeon's deft touch. An American original, the poet involves the reader's emotions and imagination with an illusion of plain talk, rediscovering what is vital and musical in the language.

Genres: Poetry

279 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1999

About the author

Died January 1, 2015.

Miller Williams is an American contemporary poet, as well as a translator and editor. He has authored over 25 books and won several awards for his poetry. His accomplishments have been chronicled in Arkansas Biography. He is perhaps best known for reading his poem "Of History and Hope" at the second inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1997.

Williams was educated in Arkansas, first enrolling at Hendrix College in Conway and eventually transferring to Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, where he published his first collection of poems, Et Cetera, while getting his bachelor's degree in biology. He went on to get a masters in zoology at the University of Arkansas in 1952.

He taught in several universities in various capacities, first as a professor of biology and then of English literature, and in 1970 returned to the University of Arkansas as a member of the English Department and the creative writing program. In 1980 he helped found the University of Arkansas Press, where he served as director for nearly 20 years. He is currently a professor emeritus of literature at the University of Arkansas.

Williams is the father of Lucinda Williams, a three-time Grammy Award winning country music, folk, and rock singer, named "America's best songwriter" by TIME magazine in 2002.

Reviews

[Tom Romig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first became aware of Miller Williams--and, come to think of it, many other fine poets--through Poetry 180, the wonderful Library of Congress program begun by Billy Collins when he was poet laureate. What wise and bracing poet Williams is! He never shirks from life's tribulations but never fails to celebrate life's joys. How's this for honesty:

Love Poem With Toast

Some of what we do, we do
to make things happen,
the alarm to wake us up, the coffee to perc,
the car to start.

The rest of what we do, we do
trying to keep something from doing something,
the skin from aging, the hoe from rusting,
the truth from getting out.

With yes and no like the poles of a battery
powering our passage through the days,
we move, as we call it, forward,
wanting to be wanted,
wanting not to lose the rain forest,
wanting the water to boil,
wanting not to have cancer,
wanting to be home by dark,
wanting not to run out of gas,

as each of us wants the other
watching at the end,
as both want not to leave the other alone,
as wanting to love beyond this meat and bone,
we gaze across breakfast and pretend.

[spike シ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some Jazz a While: Collected Poems by Miller Williams is like a chill conversation with a wise friend who just happens to have a knack for turning everyday moments into poetry. His writing has this smooth, jazzy vibe that makes you want to lean in and soak it all up. Williams hits on everything from love to loss, capturing those little life details that often slip by unnoticed but end up meaning the most.

What I love about his style is that it feels real and relatable—there’s no pretense here, just genuine emotion wrapped in clever wordplay. He balances lightness and depth like a pro, making you laugh one minute and reflect the next. Some Jazz a While is the kind of collection that invites you to kick back, sip your drink, and just vibe with the words. It’s a reminder to appreciate the beauty in the chaos of life, and honestly, who doesn’t need that?

[Pachyderm Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

All kinda 'jazz' played from this poet. Melodious, melancholic, soulful, and sad.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Former Poet Laureate Billy Collins credits Miller Williams with inspiring him, through the use of pointed criticism, to get serious about poetry. This is Williams' own collected poems. His words are spare, restrained and clear, always crisp and awe-inspiring. Best of all, whether he writes of his own muddlements or the culture's monumental messes, his words never get in the way of his ideas, which are kind and wise.

[Robert Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A splendid survey of the writing of my own literary mentor and friend.

[Michelle Mclain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. I go back to re-read "A Poem for Emily" very frequently.