A LYRICAL JOURNEY THROUGH DARKNESS AND LIGHT
A childhood spent in the East Kentucky mountains informs many of the poems in Near a River Winding. These poems of remembrances, revelations, and hope have a natural flow, much like the river of the poet’s past. While not denying the forces of darkness all around us, Parsons finds room to dream of a world in which hope and love prevail – a world where someday, perhaps, cardinal and eagle can “perch together on one limb,” as they do in “Feather Blind.”
~ Ken Slone, author of Mountain Teacher and At Home in the
Mountains
Near a River Winding showcases Marie Parsons’ sharp wit and her powers of observation, applied with equal skill to scenery, historical events, and human relationships. Fans of Dr. Seuss will delight in Marie’s merry takedown of haikus. And the hilarious, relatable truths in “Memory Lapse,” written with perfect leanness, will leave readers of all ages chuckling. But Parsons truly shines when writing about her beloved Kentucky. She is a proud, honest and earnest tour guide, taking us to a beautiful place while showing us her heart
~ Karen Yankosky, humorist and author of Good Luck with that
Thing You’re Doing
In this wide ranging, almost encyclopedic collection of poetry, Marie Parsons engages with her readers in a down-to-earth personal voice. She demonstrates how to be accessible and profound. A unique intelligence guides her hand as she bursts through her Appalachian roots to go beyond her native region to touch on universal themes. You will want to read this book again and again.
~ Dreama Frisk, author of Ivory Hollyhocks
[In Near a River Winding, Marie Parsons proves herself to be] . . . a living, breathing poet with real joys, real fears, real struggles. [She] has a real, determined “say” here, and she offers it “with no apology.”
~ Steve Cope, author of Selected Poems
