Mornings Like This

"Found poems are to their poet what no-fault insurance is to beneficiaries: payoffs waiting to happen where everyone wins and no one is blamed. Dillard culls about 40 such happy accidents from sources as diverse as a The American Boys Handy Book (1882) and the letters of Van Gogh. . . . the poet aims for a lucky, loaded symbolism that catapults the reader into an epiphany never imagined by the original authors." -- Publishers Weekly

In Mornings Like This, beloved author Annie Dillard has given us a witty and moving collection of poems in a wholly original form, sure to charm her fans, both old and new.

Extracting and rearranging sentences from old and odd books--From D.C. Beard's "The American Boys Handy Book" in 1882 to Van Gogh's letters to David Greyson's "The Countryman's Year" in 1936--Dillard has composed poems on poetry's most heartfelt themes of love, nature, nostalgia, and death. A unique, clever, and original collection, Dillard's characteristic voice sounds throughout the pages.

A masterwork of curation, Mornings Like This reveals the extraordinary hidden in the ordinary:

• An Original Literary Form: Witness a master at work as Annie Dillard extracts and rearranges sentences from forgotten books to create something entirely new and breathtaking.
• Witty and Profound: From the comical instructions in "The American Boys Handy Book" to the heartbreaking letters of Van Gogh, each poem finds the perfect balance between humor and depth.
• Unexpected Sources: Journey through a curated archive of odd and wonderful texts, including maritime charts, emergency care manuals, and natural histories, each transformed by Dillard's unique vision.
• Timeless Themes: Explore poetry's most heartfelt subjects--love, nature, mortality, and memory--woven together from the words of others into a singular, cohesive collection.