{"id":8986,"date":"2026-09-09T21:59:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T04:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/?p=8986"},"modified":"2026-09-09T22:10:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T05:10:43","slug":"the-pennsylvania-poetry-book-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/fr\/the-pennsylvania-poetry-book-club\/","title":{"rendered":"Le Club de lecture de po\u00e9sie de Pennsylvanie"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Report by George Reitnour<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Novalis School of Poetry\u201d *<\/h1>\n

Book Blurbs from the Kimberton, PA Poetry Book Club<\/em>
\nJuly 2024 \u2013 June 2026 \u00a0|\u00a0 Compiled and Presented by George Reitnour<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

* \u00a0Name given to the Pennsylvania Poetry Book Club working group by George Reitnour.<\/small><\/p>\n

Click here to view this complete report as a PDF<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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From July 2024, through June 2026, for 1.5 hours each month, Kimberton-(PA\/USA)-area residents gathered at the home of George and Melissa Reitnour to meet online with people from the UK, CH, the US, and Canada to review books by poets who had had some exposure to anthroposophy (from attending RS lectures, like Rilke, to being \u201call-in\u201d, like Ege or Barfield). At the risk of raising mossbacks\u2019 hackles, let\u2019s call these books, as a group, selections from \u201cThe Novalis School of Poetry.\u201d George\u2019s blurbs (below) might help you determine which of these poets\u2019 books could best benefit your community. Please note: listed prices may have changed; not all publishers are listed below; and not all books are still available.<\/em><\/p>\n

Poets in This Report<\/h2>\n

Aldan, Daisy \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Allison, John \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Barfield, Owen \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Bingham, Matthew R. A. \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Bruckner, Peter \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Davidson, Annalies \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Donaldson, David \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Dreier, Alexander \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Fischer, Luke \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Garbisch, Leif \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Garlieb, Melissa \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Gold, Monica \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Hess, Lory Widmer \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Hoy, Andrew \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Johnston, Caryl \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Kobrin, Una \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Lukas, Jody (Waldorf School teacher) \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 MacKaye, Percy. \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 MacKaye-Barnes, Christy \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 MacKaye-Ege, Arvia \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Matthews, Paul \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Middleton, Rowan \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Millar, Gabriele Bradford \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Morgenstern, Christian \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Morrow, Nicholas Michael \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Novalis (1772-1801) \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Ploegen, Maarten \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Polikoff, Daniel Joseph \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Raine, Kathleen \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Rilke, Ranier Maria \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Reitnour, George \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Rennick, Peter \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Richards, Mary Caroline \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Rubano, Joseph \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Sass, Gregory \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Stedall, Jonathan \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Steel, Richard \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Steffen, Albert \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Thatcher, Philip \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 Ziguras, Jakob<\/p>\n

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Book Reviews, A\u2013Z<\/h2>\n

Aldan, Daisy <\/strong>Collected Poems: Amazon.com: Books<\/a> (Sky Blue Pr, 2002; 496 pages $40.00). \u201cThe Elements\u201d with its sylphs, gnomes, undines and salamanders, \u201cThe Walking,\u201d describing a walk at the Goetheanum, \u201cShe has Entered Midnight\u201d, \u201cPorto Plato\u201d and so many other beautiful, Anthroposophia-instructed poems in this book are met with swords of consciousness like her \u201cPoetry Reading at the Harvard Advocate\u201d and \u201cThe National Anthem\u201d. A \u201cmust-have\u201d book, or if you don\u2019t have room for the big book, find the earlier ones like the little, purple Breakthrough<\/em> book with the eurythmy form on the cover.<\/p>\n

Allison, John <\/strong>A Way of Seeing<\/a> (Lindesfarne Books, 2003; 160 pages $16.95). John\u2019s Way of Seeing<\/em> (he wrote several other books) is a wonderful, must-have resource for poets and readers interested in Hopkins, Rilke, and other poets who illustrate perceptive and imaginative powers. The book includes some of John\u2019s poems.<\/p>\n

Barfield, Owen <\/strong>The Tower<\/a> Parlor Press, 2021, 330 pages, w\/ notes, bibliography, and index-Taylors. $34.99. For more detail, if you\u2019re flush, read: Jeffrey Hipolito on Barfield, Routledge<\/a>, 2021 $144.00. Of course, we know we should read Barfield. After all, CS Lewis, Tolkien, Eliot, Auden, Howard Nemerov, and Saul Bellow did. I tried. But until I read his poetry with others in a group, it slew me with ennui. For a reading group, though, wow!… Better than one more round of the Karma Lectures!<\/p>\n

Bingham, Matthew R. A. <\/strong>The Book within the Temple (presswarehouse.com)<\/a> (Lindisfarne Books, 2016) 141 pages $18.00. According to the cover, Matthew struggled with schizophrenia, and this book may be helpful to people experiencing that struggle directly or through loved ones (perhaps many more people than we might guess).<\/p>\n

Bruckner, Peter <\/strong>The Butterfly Net<\/em> (Chapbook, 2024). Now, here\u2019s an artist if ever there was one! Peter\u2019s puppet shows, plays, paintings, jewelry, stained glass windows, novellas, and especially his poems enthrall and amaze all three or so of his discerning devotees, and his less discerning one, me. Though his many little chapbooks are a blessing, someone needs, figuratively speaking, to beat him into publishing his poems in some manner that makes them available to the world.<\/p>\n

Davidson, Annalies <\/strong>Views (available via Lulu, 2024)162 pages $5.54 + shipping (approx. $6) A thoughtful, \u201cfree-verse\u201d read (though more conscious of rhythm and sound than most such verse\u2026 Eurythmists can\u2019t help themselves). Poems like \u201cStopping\u201d (Annalies and a deer), \u201cMonogamous\u201d (Annalies and a goose and Penelope), and \u201cWearing Sable\u201d (Annalies and a falcon, reminding one of the \u201cWindhover\u201d with its reference to what is most dear), spice up this open-hearted book, co-produced by her fellow poet\/eurythmist, Lory Widmer-Hess.<\/p>\n

Donaldson, David <\/strong>The Twelve Senses<\/a> (Wynstones 2023) 60 pages, $19.95. This was timely for a few of us taking a survey course on anthroposophy at our local branch, as we reviewed this book a few days before this subject was covered. This book could be read by a study group together with Albert Soesman\u2019s book. One could say the plethora of spondees and trochees in this ambitious work indicates the kind of will and thought that goes into a production like this. Old-English throwbacks will appreciate some of the alliteration.<\/p>\n

Dreier, Alexander <\/strong>The Brain is a Boundary: On Lewy Body Dementia<\/a> (LindisfarneBooks 136 pages $7.99. See Alexander\u2019s bio in spring summer 2020 journal biodynamics<\/a>). Poems by a beautiful soul experiencing LBD.<\/p>\n

Fischer, Luke <\/strong>A Gamble for my Daughter (Vagabond Press, 2022)<\/a>. This Australian philosopher\/poet stands heroically between his daughter and demonic forces that would harm her before she is grown. The epic \u201cOrphic Elegy\u201d, a brief history of the world met by the continually-reincarnating Orpheus, and \u201cThe Gods are Silent\u201d make clear that the poet is conscious of the environmental and social challenges to humanity, and the title poem humbly lays out how he prays to address it. This poem could be suggested reading for Waldorf school parents and artists.<\/p>\n

Garbisch, Leif<\/strong> (24<\/a> Alkion Press 2021, 47 pages $7). Leif is a photographer\/writer\/snowbird (Sarasota & Ghent), and in poems like \u201cFor Everything Included\u201d, \u201dIncarnate\u201d and \u201cRiver,\u201d he shows an eye for the world, a heart for people, and an honest recognition of where he is in the course of his spiritual journey.<\/p>\n

Garlieb, Melissa <\/strong>Handing Out Apples in Eden (Phoenix Books<\/a>) (2014. 94 pages; $15.95+$7.50 shipping). Here\u2019s a hot potato of a book! Not much held back\u2026 Sweet and surprising, a fun read for groups or anyone who wants someone to love.<\/p>\n

Gold, Monica <\/strong>A Spiritual Poem Collection \u2014 Les \u00c9ditions Perceval <\/a>(190 pages $22CA & shipping from Canada). It\u2019s not every day you see a book with both a table of contents and a thematic index under titles like Anthroposophy, Community, Death, Festivals and Celebrations, Illness and Suffering, Michael, Occult Training\u2026 The poems, even the longer ones, developed by this dedicated teacher to help others, are like little mantras or pieces of advice, without any of the sarcasm you would find in many epigrams.<\/p>\n

Hess, Lory Widmer<\/strong> See Quest for magic in life, language, & literature<\/a> When Fragments Make a Whole \u2013BibleHealingStories<\/a> (Florys Press 2024) 274 pages $22.95. While it can be read solo, this book is best-suited for reading together in a church or discussion group. Gospel-healing story\/poem by gospel-hearing story\/poem, story-elucidation by elucidation, self-disclosure by self-disclosure, Lory determinedly (and she is one strong-willed eurythmy lady!) brings these gospel stories to life. The message can be summed up with the question Christ asks: \u201cDo you want to get well?\u201d Just by reading the book\u2014and overcoming the age\u2019s temptation to blame others\u2014you might be inspired to do so!<\/p>\n

Hoy, Andrew <\/strong>Poems for Several Voices<\/em> (49 pages\u2014not available on line). This little book, with its illustrations by Cornelius Pietzner, dazzles with its metrical and alliterative virtuosity, and is at times light as children\u2019s feet can be, and at other times as heavy as children\u2019s feet can be (including old children like MC Richards). It includes contemplations and a requiem, and is a joy to read, but (Na-NaNaNa-Na!) good luck finding the book, which came to me via an old friend in 1986!<\/p>\n

Johnston, Caryl <\/strong>Instead of Eyes: Amazon<\/a> (Hawthorne Press 1970 46 pages $14.94), Indulge Me Once: Amazon<\/a> (Lulu.com 2014 93 pages $10.98), Storyteller in Times Square<\/a> (2023 76 pages $6.50). Refreshingly erudite poetry from the controversial author of From Boston to Birmingham<\/em> (a compilation of essays\u2026 a worthy read in itself). The books get \u201cyounger\u201d as she matures, so start with the latest book, Storyteller<\/em>, with its title poem recounting her accompanying eurythmist-writer Linda Sussman on a 9\/9\/2002 visit to NYC. Then you\u2019ll be ready for the surprise of her earlier poems: the biblical explorations of Instead of Eyes<\/em>, and the soul-searching, psalm-like Indulge Me<\/em>. Like Rilke, however steeped in anthroposophy she may be, she declares her independence of Steiner-worship as vociferously as she rejects the illusory offerings of modernity. She\u2019s not writing primarily for the faint-hearted, although the faint-hearted will be sorry if they don\u2019t read the poems because there are some very tender ones (perhaps made more endearing by the contexts).<\/p>\n

Kobrin, Una <\/strong>Words Between Darkness and Light: Amazon<\/a> (Orchard Academy Press, 2023, 202 pages $17.18). This poet, who participates in anthroposophical section work and blesses the world on many levels (from psychotherapy to gardening and community development), introduces us to that blessed world through poetry that includes\u2014and the word \u201cincludes\u201d may not be sufficiently inclusive\u2014the mineral world, plants, animals, people\u2026 The works! Another \u201cmust-have\u201d book for anyone who appreciates the world and others and would like to become more human.<\/p>\n

Lukas, Jody (Waldorf School teacher) <\/strong>I Look into the World … (presswarehouse.com)<\/a> (Wynstones Press, 2021; 162 pages $17.95). These are poems written by a Waldorf school teacher dedicated to her students with poems in chapters, each for students of certain ages, starting with poems for 8- to 9-year-olds that relate to work, then, at increasing ages, to animals, plants, minerals, historical figures, and finally, at ages 13-14, to ideals. Then, there is a chapter of poems summarizing class content for each year, and finally, poetry to accompany lessons. There may be some metrical glitches in \u201cSeaweed\u201d and in \u201cThe Trojan Horse\u201d, but perfection is not the point of the book; the heart is there, and consequently, the book can serve as a guide for parents and prospective teachers to see how deep an artistic commitment Waldorf teachers can make for the sake of their students.<\/p>\n

MacKaye, Percy.<\/strong> As described in Henry Barnes\u2019s book, Percy MacKaye, Poet of Old Worlds and New<\/em>, Percy lived from 1875-1956, was a friend of Robert Frost, Isadora Duncan, and Woodrow Wilson\u2019s family, and came to feel a strong friendship with the Swiss poet Albert Steffan, who he\u2019d met via his daughter Arvia (see below). We did not spend enough time on his work in that book, but one poem in particular caught our attention, beginning: \u201cI am a bridge\u2014God\/Let me not crack.\/The shore I spring toward\/Needs the shore I sprang from. Back\/And forward I must gaze\/Through the haze,\/That youth may run across me, both ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

MacKaye-Barnes, Christy <\/strong>Wind in the Grass<\/em> (1931) (try ebay $20-$35) and A Wound Awoke Me: Poems (Adonis Press1994)<\/a> 119 Pages-$17.14 This poet\/speech artist\/teacher was the primary contributor to a wonderful set of essays, For the Love of Literature<\/a> ($9.96); be sure to read the interview therein to get a sense of how destiny works! Christy\u2019s Wind in the Grass<\/em> was written in her early 20s. Harpers published it and Edwin Arlington Robinson wrote the intro! Not normal treatment for a young poet, but she was not just anyone\u2026 She was Percy\u2019s daughter and something else!\u2026 Trained in speech at the Goetheanum in the 1930s, fleeing Europe at the advent of WWII, among the first to bring Waldorf education to the US\u2014her later poems are worth reading for the wealth of experience they bring, and their attention to the sounds of speech.<\/p>\n

MacKaye-Ege, Arvia <\/strong>The Secret Iron of the Heart: Amazon.com: Books<\/a> (Adonis Press,1982. 182 pages. $9.99). Arvia was one of the youth at the Christmas Conference of 1923. The above book, published by her sister Christy\u2019s press, with the exception of some somewhat saccharine poems for Steiner, Steffan, her sister and others, has many beautiful poems that pay attention to rhyme and meter, including \u201cO My Angel\u201d, which could be useful for eurythmists and speech artists. While critics of the 1970s and early 1980s may not have approved of these poems had they seen them, they likely did not come across this book, and the poems (and her translations) deserve a fresh look today from critics more familiar with traditional poetry.<\/p>\n

Matthews, Paul <\/strong>The Ground that Love Seeks<\/a> (1996) 128 pages; contact poet via website for book). Paul is likely most famous for the teaching and workshops he\u2019s led (many of the Novalis School poets appreciated these, including Garlieb, Reitnour, and Thatcher) together with his Sing Me the Creation<\/em> guide to writing poetry, a book that every poetry teacher and workshop leader should have. You\u2019ll find, in The Ground that Love Seeks, <\/em>some poems that you can read for friends who are visiting or to kick off an event, especially \u201cA Welcome,\u201d as well as some high-energy ones like \u201cThe Wild Tibetan Donkey\u201d that remind one of DH Lawrence\u2019s \u201cThe Ass\u201d, each of which is great for recitation. He\u2019d likely prefer to be known as an inspiring and thoughtful poet than as a \u201cpoet influenced by anthroposophy.\u201d Sorry\u2026 He\u2019s both\u2026<\/p>\n

Middleton, Rowan <\/strong>The Stolen Herd<\/a> (2018; a pamphlet\u201424pages \u00a35.00 + postage) and Stars and Shadows<\/em> (2025). Paul Matthews told me about Rowan, who teaches writing and literature at the University of Gloucestershire in England, and Rowan, in turn, told me of Fischer and Ziguras. Poetry Book Club enjoyed Rowan\u2019s narrative poems, like \u201cSt. Cuthbert\u201d and the Welsh-myth-referencing title poem, his use of alliteration and slant rhymes, the love of speech shown in \u201cOaklines,\u201d and his quiet descriptions of the natural world where one can hear echoes of Hopkins\u2019 line, \u201cNo wonder of it\u2026\u201d in all of its wondrous context. Stars and Shadows<\/em> offered \u201cThe Fourth Task\u201d, provoking one into thinking about how one responds to being attacked, \u201cAfter Gardening\u201d, sounding like the imagists, and other, more descriptive poems, metrically pleasing. Cool books to enlighten and warm one. More, please!<\/p>\n

Millar, Gabriele Bradford <\/strong>Crackle of Almonds: Selected Poems: Amazon.co.uk <\/a>(2012; 84 pages). Paul Matthews speaks in the foreword of this writer\u2019s \u201cunabashed romantic voice\u201d and \u201cgenerous tone\u201d. She does not shy away\u2026 From \u201cDeath Is a Soft Word\u201d (1977) where \u201cDeath\u2026\/You are the last and best lover;\/You never defect\u201d to \u201cIn Exile Here\u201d (2011) where she vows to return to a hard-to-bear life as \u201cWe are not here to die an early romantic death;\/we are here to serve,\u201d she carries us chronologically through her years. Old readers may smile with recognition; young ones, with hope.<\/p>\n

Morgenstern, Christian <\/strong>We Have Found a Path<\/a> (Mercury Press; the book was written shortly before his 1914 death from TB); 1994 translation by R. H. Bruce). 99 pages $13.95. Christian came to be regarded by Steiner as \u201ca true representative of Anthroposophy\u201d for works like this one, but had been popular earlier for poems like \u201cA gloomy ass, fed up with life,\/Said to his true and lawful wife:–\/\u2019I am so dull, you are dull,\/What shall we do? Let\u2019s die, old gal!\u2019\/But such is life, and so\u2019t will be:–\/The two lived on quite merrily.\u201d The Path<\/em> book, in a more serious but no less perceptive manner, could be life-saving reading for anyone who is suffering and either longing for or grateful for companionship.<\/p>\n

Morrow, Nicholas Michael <\/strong>Misty Mountain Chronicles<\/em> (\u201cMMC\u201d) is a series of books from Misty Mountain Publishing, including (in reverse order): When a Promise is Made to the Muse: illustrator Ami:<\/a>, 6×9, 238 pages, et al \u20132024 $24.87; The Mirror and the Muse: Illustrator: Amy Spangler, Ami<\/a> 2024 250 pages Amazon.com: Books, $17.95; Misty Mountain Musings; Illustrators: Rutledge & Spangler<\/a> 2022 202 pgs $18.70; and Prequel. Dancing to the Music Illustrator: Marianna Lands<\/a> 2024, 210 pgs $14.98. The MMC series is an artistically conceived and produced set of books of poetry, conveying the perceptive, loving consciousness of this dedicated writer, who, from his home near Yelm, WA, contributed much to the review of books for our poetry gatherings. A generous-spirited guy for the age to come\u2026 Good to read if you\u2019re leaning in that direction\u2026 We also reviewed his earlier Songs to the Beloved and Her Lovers<\/a> (2007 241 pages $10.99), which could be compared to a merger of the soul of Hafiz with the spirit of Rumi.<\/p>\n

Novalis (1772-1801) <\/strong>Hymns to the Night; Novalis: A Performance Text \u2013 Translation by Bruce Donehower<\/a> 2025, 45 pgs $9.99. This translation by Dr. Donehower (a Novalis scholar who heads up the North American Section for the Literary Arts and Humanities) was the final and historically most significant book we reviewed in our series. A century before Steiner, Novalis speaks for Anthroposophia, and Steiner acknowledges as much in his final (and earlier) lectures. This poem and Class Lessons given by Steiner and the Foundation Stone Meditation could be kept together as touchstones. The book is a wonderful resource on the origins and development of the poet and the poem as well as (I have been told) a refreshing translation of the poem.<\/p>\n

Ploegen, Maarten <\/strong>Honeymoon of Mourning (Adonis Press2017)<\/a> 100 pages translated by Matthew Dexter. $16.95. Maarten\u2019s book, written during his wife\u2019s illness and\/or in the months after her death, provides a path for those feeling their way along after the loved one goes on, perhaps disregarding the \u201chazardous bluff area Keep Out\u201d signs. One poem notes: \u201cYou are the webmaster now\u2026\u201d In another, \u201cDoglatin\u201d, he comes across her handwriting: \u201cHow is it possible for you\/to live so intimately in a character\/your being radiating through?\u201d And everywhere, he is reaching for her in beautiful and thoughtful speech, being with her, without her\u2026 Half of married folk will need this book eventually, and the other half should read it sooner.<\/p>\n

Polikoff, Daniel Joseph<\/strong> 2026-03-21 Dragon Ship (2007) McAllister & Solomon Books (abebooks.com)<\/a>(74 pages $30.00). This book from Daniel, a PhD in Comparative Literature, translator, student of Rilke, and oft-published writer, is divided into two sets of poems, each in groups of seasons. The magic of the title poem and the recounting of kids\u2019 questions in \u201cWhat If a Fish Got Chicken Pox\u201d bring one\u2019s memories of being with young people, and then there is the whiplash of poems like \u201cDay One,\u201d \u201cLetter to the Secretary,\u201d and \u201cDead Man Walking\u201d which could carry those same children, later, to killing fields\/rooms. We can recognize the contrasting myths, and the prayers, and practice objectivity in the midst of the challenges to thinking presented by the poems, like Daniel\u2019s teacher \u201cwho worked nights in a tollbooth\/to keep his mind free\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Raine, Kathleen <\/strong>Selected Poems<\/a> (1988; 157 pages; $15.99). Busted! No, I am not aware that Raine had any connection to the Anthroposophical Society, but \u201cThe Hyacinth\u201d (and the 1940 experience that led to the poem as recounted by her in The Land Unknown<\/em>, together with being raised by a similarly blessed mother), the incredibly powerful \u201cThree Poems of Incarnation,\u201d \u201cRock,\u201d and her lifelong duel with dualism (see her Defending Ancient Springs<\/em>) suggest that Anthroposophia knocked at her heart\u2019s door and said, as Steiner described, \u201cLet me in, for I am you yourself; I am your true human nature.\u201d Even if she wasn\u2019t influenced by anthroposophy, she influences anthroposophists, which counts for something. Please read her books and see for yourself.<\/p>\n

Rilke, Ranier Maria <\/strong>Fifty Poems \u2013 NY Review of Books<\/a> translated by Geoffrey Lehmann (2025–Selected from New Poems<\/em>; $16). Like Raine, Rilke is another who is more of interest to anthroposophists than anthroposophists were of interest to him, although I\u2019ve read he did attend one or more Steiner lecture(s) and conversed with (and disappointed) Albert Steffen. Regardless, Rilke ended up, with Rodin\u2019s help, looking objectively and carefully at things, and this book is his meditation on what he experienced through these studies. Having clung as long as he could to abjectivity [sic\u2026 More fun to pun on objectivity than to say abjectness], having lightened up in the interim, he is likely hanging out at anthroposophical events this time around, so be kind to strangers just in case. Poets can learn a lot from studying this little book, translated by Australian poet\/anthologist\/corporate tax lawyer\/etc., Lehmann, who, like Villeneuve translating Steiner\u2019s mantras, held onto the rhyme and meter of the originals\u2026 If Rilke didn\u2019t mean it the way Lehmann writes it, he should have.<\/p>\n

Reitnour, George <\/strong>Millennial Buckle, Selected Poems 1975-2025<\/a> (Amazon, 2025; 750 pages; $23.58) A bit obsessive to have dated every one of the thousands of poems written from 1975-2025, but there you have it, whatever it is\u2026 I\u2019ve had it with this book! Anyway, go to the reitnour.com website (not the trailer manufacturer that sucks up many searchers) to read some of the poems and find links to readings on Soundcloud to decide what to do about this book.<\/p>\n

Rennick, Peter <\/strong>Did I Miss A Day:<\/a> This is a blog, not a paper book. You can go to the site to see the work of this prolific (answer: He has not missed many days, once he got going!) and dedicated poet who participates in Literary Section activities. Why not check it out?! It\u2019s free! Happy Valentines!<\/p>\n

Richards, Mary Caroline <\/strong>Imagine Inventing Yellow<\/a> (2010 158 pages $9.80). Potter, essayist and poet who lived toward the end of her life at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills (some of her pottery sits in the Rose Hall narthex), Dr. Richards taught at Black Mountain College and Univ. of Chicago, and was friend and\/or mentor to many well-known artistic people. Her poems \u201cMusic\u201d (riffing on Steiner\u2019s \u201cThe Human Being\u2019s Experience of Tone,\u201d) and \u201cWhite Daffodil\u201d accompanying the Buechner painting of the same on the opposite page are reason enough to buy this book.<\/p>\n

Rubano, Joseph <\/strong>This Crazy Love Life<\/a> 2025 214 pages $17. How could this wonderful poet not be widely known in anthroposophical circles in the East, and how many more like him are out there? Read \u201cWhat a Poem Is\u201d with its first line, \u201cI really don\u2019t know\u201d but then listing elements of meditation which cannot but lead to poetry; rejoice in the rhythms of \u201cHoly Speech\u201d, which recounts his child speaking \u201cEat\u201d to call him to dinner; if your spiritual practice includes Steiner\u2019s \u201cdon\u2019t-cry\u201d exercise, reading \u201cSaying Goodbye\u201d [to his father] without tears can be your final exam.<\/p>\n

Sass, Gregory <\/strong>Shadows (Amazon)<\/a> Florys Books 2024,150 pages $6.20; Growing Toward the Light (Amazon) <\/a>2023, 94 pages $6.24; and Child of War<\/a> (Amazon) 2025, 124 pages $25.20 (Kindle $7.90). This poet experienced WWII as a child in Germany, but has he been exposed to anthroposophy? Well, can you live in Hesperus Village in Toronto next to the Waldorf School and not be? Aren\u2019t you getting tired of the A question? Shouldn\u2019t we just talk poetry? Now, some of these poems are preachy, but he has cause\u2026 \u201cWake up and listen to people with experience so you don\u2019t have to experience it for yourself,\u201d he is, in essence, saying. These books are intended to sound an alarm for today. In Shadows, read \u201cDangerous Times\u201d and \u201cWhy\u201d; and in Growing<\/em>, the poem \u201c1954 Niagara Falls,\u201d with its \u201cI am grateful for the memory\/of a sunny Saturday morning\/when I was sixteen. For a few hours\/I was a normal teenager\u2026\u201d is contrasted with the earlier poem, \u201cMy schoolmates,\u201d describing how \u201cThey were defusing a bomb\/to sell for scrap metal.\u201d In the one book, Gregory includes Hannah Arendt\u2019s quote relating to the ideal subject of totalitarian rule being one who is unable to distinguish between fact and fiction. Um\u2026<\/p>\n

Stedall, Jonathan <\/strong>No Shore Too Far (presswarehouse.com)<\/a> (Hawthorne Press, 2017 160 pages $16.00). The preface introduces us to Jackie, the poet\u2019s wife, a respected mathematician who died at age 64. \u201cShe didn\u2019t like the word \u2018battle\u2019 in relation to her illness. For two years she \u2018lived\u2019 with cancer\u201d, having \u201ca quiet confidence in the future.\u201d The poet says that to him, \u201cdeath is a transition rather than an end\u201d, and he started writing poems for her, and to her, about a year later. The poems are almost exclusively iambic in meter, which Steiner says is best for lyrical poetry, where we strive to enter the world of feeling, but as was the case with Frost, this poet\u2019s striving is that of a thoughtful, contemplative person. Reading all of these poets, you come to see that these poets could benefit from reading one another; that this \u201cschool\u201d of poets is meant to be together (as in section work!… Together with the ones now awaiting rebirth!). For example, in \u201cGod\u201d, Jonathan writes: \u201cwhat my reason tends to do\u2026 is tell me that I need a further sense,\/besides those precious five,\/to help me grasp\/\u2026 what must indeed exist\u2026\u201d He could read Donaldson\u2019s book on \u201cTwelve Senses\u201d! In any event, Jonathan\u2019s book is a lovely, healing read.<\/p>\n

Steel, Richard <\/strong>Beneath the Knowing Stars<\/a> (2024 88 pages \u20ac 18,00). Richard\u2019s poems are handwritten, and there are typed biographical notes on the facing pages, which readers found to be a pleasure to read with the poems. The first note describes the origins of his first poem at age 11: his teacher told him to write a poem about what Richard saw. Sounds like Rodin and Rilke, and indeed, there was, in Richard, a similar awe and respect for the teacher that Rilke felt for Rodin. The title of the book comes from Richard\u2019s poem \u201cI do not walk alone,\u201d which is prefaced by a note saying that he is grateful that he formed no concept of guardian angels prior to meeting one. \u201cAs I walk into the unknown,\/fearful yet decisively, a band of stars has been strewn\/across the arc of the night sky,\/shining on my path. And the stars sing softly to my soul,\/reassuring me that I do not walk alone.\/And the meaning of the path rises up,\/gradually, warmingly into my feet, as the earth meets my footsteps.\u201d \u201cRed Bird in Winter\u201d, \u201cFriend at the threshold\u201d (most of the first stanza wants to be dactylic), and \u201cNovember is an Old Friend\u201d; you will want to read the rest of the poems, too, which you should.<\/p>\n

Steffen, Albert <\/strong>The Power for Resurrection’s Flight:| Barnes & Noble<\/a> (171 pages, $16.95). There are inspiring essayists and thinkers like Emerson and Thoreau who wrote beautifully about <\/em>poetry, but whose own poetry is less inspiring than their other writings. If you read Albert\u2019s poems included in this book, you might find yourself wondering, if this is the only source of power for resurrection\u2019s flight, then how\u2019s that baby gonna get off the ground? Oh! The melancholia!… Maybe you had to know him?… Certainly, he was a dedicated and serious artist, greatly appreciated by Steiner and vice versa. One can\u2019t know from translation (by 18 translators!?), but he would likely have taken Steiner to heart with the iambic\/trochaic\/spondaic thing\u2014maybe Albert even helped Steiner with that. Even if he did, I\u2019ve not yet found these ideas to be applicable to poetry in English. Please read the book and convince me to get on board!<\/p>\n

Thatcher, Philip<\/strong> #1 Fine Matter (2020); #2 Good Time (2022). Both available via Les \u00c9ditions Perceval<\/a>$25CA+shipping from Canada. He may be as melancholic as Steffen, but his poems have a vitality that could make trees tremble when he walks among them, as in #1\u2019s \u201cThe Trees Turned\u201d. If you were to read just one chapter, e.g., the \u201cBrush of Light\u201d, you\u2019d likely find yourself online at the Publisher\u2019s site ordering the book. There, you find \u201cSunday Morning\u2026\u201d, \u201cA trawler groans\/as its anchor weighs\/then grumbles seaward\/into sunlight\/nibbling at the mist\u201d. In the context of \u201cWho Are You\u201d, you\u2019ll find \u201cSweet New York\u201d and \u201cMust as Kings Come\u201d with their lively appreciation for imaginations that could remind you of poems from Jane Kenyon\u2019s Otherwise.<\/em> But don\u2019t stop there. In Good Time<\/em>, published 2 years later, read at least \u201cListening to Sofia Gubaidulina\u201d while hearing her \u201cCanticle of the Sun\u201d. \u201cHaunted by Ruwanda\u201d and \u201cFor Jonah, at 20\u201d should lead us to ask: what will it take to change the world? The Blowin\u2019 in the Wind question\u2026 If your heart is already moving, these poems give companionship, and this is why Philip should be, if he is not already, one of Canada\u2019s most beloved poets.<\/p>\n

Ziguras, Jakob <\/strong>Venetian Mirrors<\/a> (342 pages 2024 $23.68). Whoa! A book of sonnets where the poet keeps to the sonnet form on the backs of pages, and then, on the facing pages, deconstructs each sonnet using the same words! This book is not a toy. Transitioning from the naivety of the descriptive form to another way of seeing, Ziguras, the Polish-New-Zealander-Australian-Whatever, seems to want to do for poetry something analogous to what Steiner wants us to do to ourselves when we break out of the sheaths of the physical, etheric, feeling and spirit and rebuild them into the ever-changing human \u201cbeing sprung of the world-all\u201d (as Ege translates Steiner). With respect to enlivening poetry, this means meditating on each of its facets: what draws our attention?\u2026 What is inspired?… Imagined?… Intuited?… Poems to love, if, as when reading GM Hopkins, you\u2019re willing to put in the work, include: \u201cA Taxonomy of Fates\u201d; \u201cLazurus\u201d; \u201cThe Veil Itself\u201d; and \u201cThe Foundling Voices\u201d. Or, if you just want a kick, read \u201cElvis\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

09.09.26<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Report by George Reitnour   \u201cThe Novalis School of Poetry\u201d * Book Blurbs from the Kimberton, PA Poetry Book Club July 2024 \u2013 June 2026 \u00a0|\u00a0 Compiled and Presented by George Reitnour * \u00a0Name given to the Pennsylvania Poetry Book Club working group by George Reitnour. Click here to view this complete report as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8989,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[53,55,52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-topics","category-poetry","category-section-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8986"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8997,"href":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8986\/revisions\/8997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theliteraryarts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}