Poetry. Winner of the 2006 Richard Snyder Publication Prize. "'Oh, deliver me from the familiar,/from the old maps and their destinations/that are pre-destinations, nothing more.' In this first collection, Blake has found her own way to answer her prayer: she confronts the ordinary in her life and changes its course, its importance, through keen consideration and well-chosen words. Blake's skills rest not only in her blend of colloquial and exacting diction with a sharp ear and enticing music but also in her delightful way of seeing the everyday: 'Love will pitch a tent anywhere—.../Marriage vows to build a home.' The new bride in her new Eden, shopping the aisles and naming the incidentals for house and family, is a lot like Eve, who 'knew the word fruit/but not its implications.' The answer to Blake's prayer is not as simple as it might appear, though. Daughter, wife, mother: this is a web in which it is difficult to move about. Ultimately, this collection celebrates the charm and grace that belong to domestic life, the world in which love has built its house. A smart and thoughtful collection; highly recommended"—Louis McKee, Library Journal.

Author City: BREWSTER, MA USA

Lorna Knowles Blake was born in Havana and lived in Cuba, Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico before moving to the United States to attend college. She was educated at Trinity College (B.A.), New York University (M.B.A.), and Sarah Lawrence College (M.F.A.). Her poems have appeared in Barrow Street, The Bellingham Review, Crab Orchard Review, The Hudson Review, and other journals, as well as in several anthologies. In addition to her position as executive director of New York State's Interest on Lawyer Account Fund, she has taught creative writing at the 92nd Street Y and served as senior poetry editor at the journal Rattapallax. She and her family live in New York City and Cape Cod.

Reviews and Other Links
Philip Miller @ Big City Lit