Poetry. "Readers will discover many facets of Fargnoli's voice, but two attributes that will most impress readers are, first, the almost shimmering gladness with which Ms. Fargnoli replies to the gifts of beauty and of human love; and, second, the compassion with which she adresses whatever is beyond her won intimate surroundings"--Mary Oliver. DUTIES OF THE SPIRIT comprises deeply moving, lyrical and unforgettable explorations of the joys and fears that come with growing older in America. Patricia Fargnoli, a retired psychotherapist, is a Macdowell fellow and associate editor of The Worcester Review. Her first book, Necessary Light, was selected by Mary Oliver for the May Swenson Poetry Award.

Author City: WALPOLE, NH USA

Patricia Fargnoli, the New Hampshire Poet Laureate from December 2006 to March 2009, is the author of six collections of poetry. Her newest book is THEN, SOMETHING (Tupelo Press, 2009). Her fifth collection, DUTIES OF THE SPIRIT (Tupelo Press, 2005) won Jane Kenyon Literary Book Award for an Outstanding Book of Poetry and was a semifinalist for the Glasgow Prize. Her first book, Necessary Light (Utah State University Press, 1999) was awarded the 1999 May Swenson Poetry Award, judged by Mary Oliver. Her book Small Songs of Pain (Pecan Grove Press, 2003) is a collection of poems triggered by Chagall's illustrations of LaFontaine's fables. In addition she has published two chapbooks: Lives of Others (Oyster River Press, 2003) and Greatest Hits (Pudding House Press, 2003).

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