Poems of the Point - by Lauri Cruver Cherian (Paperback)

About the Book

If a piece of your heart already lies in the Pacific Northwest, you love the beach, or you are open to having your heart captured by it, POEMS OF THE POINT is the book for you.

Book Synopsis

Imagine growing up on beachfront property in the Puget Sound where the waves crash a hundred feet from your front door, the seagulls provide the morning wakeup call, and sea lions pop up their heads each day to check on you. Poems of the Point features a walk down the beach, finding an eagle's nest, childhood memories of boating and fishing for cod, searching for Lewis moon shells, picking cherries and raspberries, digging for clams and geoducks, spying orca in the Sound, and even a chance viewing of the illusive Mt. Rainier on a clear day. If a piece of your heart already lies in the Pacific Northwest or you are open to having your heart captured by it, this book of poetry is for you.

"Cherian's poems are a delight-filled homing journey to Gig Harbor." --Ann Farley, author of Tell Her Yes

"Her arresting verses call us to pay attention to beauty, both material and invisible." --Sneha Abraham Villalva, Executive Speechwriter, UCLA

"This debut collection is a heartfelt tribute to the enduring power of place." --Susan Donnelly, poet and teacher

"I've long wanted to visit places in the Northwest like Gig Harbor, Washington. Now, via Cherian's beautiful poems, I can." --Ron Rozelle, author of Into That Good Night

Review Quotes

"I've long wanted to visit places in the Northwest like Gig Harbor, Washington. Now, via Lauri Cherian's beautiful poems, I can. Poems of the Point is brimming with beautiful descriptions of a special place and great truths about the power of family, loyalties and traditions. When Lauri tells me in the first poem how certain landmarks and memories bring her home to Gig Harbor it brings me home as well, to the very distant and different little East Texas town that raised me many years ago. Lauri is a gifted poet and storyteller; I will come back to this collection occasionally."

--Ron Rozelle, author of Into That Good Night, The Windows of Heaven and Touching Winter

"Poems of the Point recaptures a delicious childhood of bike rides, beach walks, and twenty-five-cent Snickers bars. Cherian's strong images recreate the salty shores of Puget Sound, transporting the reader to places washed by memory and love. This debut collection is a heartfelt tribute to the enduring power of place."

--Susan Donnelly, poet and teacher

"This is a paean-not just to a place, but to moments. Lauri Cherian's poems are present-to nature, to family, to love. Her arresting verses call us to pay attention to beauty, both material and invisible. Her writing transports us to her childhood home and beckons us in. Lauri Cherian's work calls to mind Annie Dillard; full of keen observations and making meaning out of memory."

--Sneha Abraham Villalva, Executive Speechwriter, UCLA

"Lauri Cherian's collection, Poems of the Point, invites us to wander barefoot in the cool sands of childhood memories and family tributes. Rich in detail, from gutting Pacific Codfish (A knife is offered to whomever/ wants to pop the air sacks) to searching for moon snails (... lays her eggs in a collar of sand), Cherian's poems describe a deep attachment to home. In "Orcas" we learn: Legend says that Orcas protect/ those who travel away from home/ and will lead them back when the time comes. Cherian's poems are a delight-filled homing journey to Gig Harbor."

--Ann Farley, author of Tell Her Yes