by Wally Swist

Reviewed by Cyndi:
Amherst author Wally Swist is a prolific writer who easily crosses genres, as is evident in his latest publication that incorporates four types of writing not often seen side-by-side. The preface provides a guide to the whole by weaving together the separate pieces using the common theme of "beauty," as suggested by the book’s title. Perhaps because he is best known as a poet, Swist weaves poetry throughout the book. His essays and reviews regarding poetry are thought provoking and insightful, especially "Instructions Within: The Poetry of Necessity," which is a review of Ashraf Fayadh’s poetry translated into English. (Fayadh is a Palestinian poet currently imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.) Later in the book, Swist offers a reinterpretation of "The Nutcracker" that provides a fantastical escape for the reader. While I personally can’t imagine being so busy as to rush on after stepping on a mouse and losing a shoe, the vivid description of that very thing happening to Mrs. Stahlbaum is a delightful detail that offers a hint of events to come that evening when the Mouse King arrives. Taken as a whole, this book offers myriad ways to interpret beauty and, as Swist says in the preface, to "engage with the rigors of beauty."

Please join us for an conversation with the author on Wednesday, June 17 at 3:00 PM - livestreamed on Facebook!