"Lia Purpura is a poet for whom the great human obligation is to struggle to see this world with clarity-as it's never been seen before. Purpura is a 'nature poet,' but few poets do not fit into that category. This poet discovers ways of learning more about the nature of the inner world from observing the outer, & at the same time she reads the outer from the inner."-David Citino "A graceful & penetrating energy abounds in the poems collected in Stone Sky Lifting. Lia Purpura's poems tread on that thin line between talk & song."-Bruce Weigl Stone Sky Lifting is a study in states of extremity, portraying violence at one end of the spectrum & unbidden solace at the other. Focusing on transforming events, Purpura depicts the spiritual dislocation that can result from abiding scrutiny. With a metaphysical sensibility, Purpura moves between our world's abundance & its mysterious stillness in her subject matter. Over the course of the book, a shaken vision emerges-one of trespass, both worldly & spiritual, & of repair. The poems in this collection don't seek resolve; rather, they make space for paradox to root. Silences become revelations in Purpura's poems.
(less)"Lia Purpura is a poet for whom the great human obligation is to struggle to see this world with clarity-as it's never been seen before. Purpura is a 'nature poet,' but few poets do not fit into that category. This poet discovers ways
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Captivity Narrative | 
