Between Latitudes - by Michelle Latvala (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Between Latitudes, Michelle Latvala's remarkable debut collection of poetry, is rooted in both the practice of forging a life in the boreal forest of Alaska and finding footing in contemporary California. The collection provides a window into our complex human experience through Latvala's vast emotional and poetic range as she explores interior and exterior lives across generations, latitude lines, and a changing climate.

Review Quotes

"These poems dazzle the senses. Michelle Latvala's intimate writing is unadorned with sentiment, tangible in lyrical description and fiercely honest. You feel as though you, too, are there living in the wilderness, taking measure of your life, and feeling the wildness of your own heart's experiences."--Phillip Moffitt, author, Insight Meditation teacher, former editor of Esquire

"These poems arise from the depths of our collective knowing, both disturbing and stirring us to respond. Her words surprise, expose, delight, and interrogate. Rooted in the strength of lived experience, they invite us into the heart of grief and the mystery of grit, compelling us to wrestle with how we live on this planet."--Kaira Jewel Lingo, Buddhist teacher, author of We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons on Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption, co-author of Healing Our Way Home: Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy, and Liberation

"In Michelle Latvala's gorgeous collection Between Latitudes, the poems challenge, comfort, and walk beside you. They create worlds and examine the created world. They are heart and bone. They are genuine and beautiful. Michelle Latvala's poems are the friends we need. Open Between Latitudes and discover the poetry of true connection."
--CMarie Fuhrman, author of Salmon Weather: Writing From the Land of No Return, and co-editor of the award-winning anthology Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry and Native Voices: Indigenous Poetry, Craft, and Conversations

"Michelle Latvala crafts beautiful poetry of place, each poem a map to navigate the natural world with wonder and respect . . . the effects of climate change and the interior world of mid-life: 'I'm on the middle lines now, she says / like a monastic arguing with god.' With fresh language and form that follows function, the poet invites us into her awareness."--Ellen Bass, author most recently of Indigo, four-time Pushcart prize winner, Chancellor Emerita of the Academy of American Poets, and MFA faculty at Pacific University

"If you spent half your life kindling transformation for others, then got caught in love for magnificent change yourself, this is your book. If you lost something precious, then needed spells and stories about what can be found in loss, these are your poems. If you struggle to understand how to fit suffering into a life designed for joy, this voice can guide you into that intricacy. . ."--Kim Stafford, author of As the Sky Begins to Change

About the Author

Michelle Latvala put down roots in Alaska two decades ago, though her Finnish ancestors shared the same circumpolar boreal forest for centuries. Her poems are regularly featured in print, audio, and video--most recently in Kerning: A Space for Words, Alaska's End-of-the-Road podcast, and Irene Young's video poetry series. Michelle served as Executive Director of Spirit Rock Meditation Center for a decade, facilitates programs through poet David Whyte's Institute for Conversational Leadership, and recently founded Insight Outside, incubating remote community-based programs that combine meditation, writing, and wilderness. Michelle migrates thoughtfully with her beloveds between her responsibilities in the forests of eastern Alaska and northern California. Between Latitudes is her first book. She can be found at www.michellelatvala.com.