Woodsmoke - by Wayne Caldwell (Paperback)

About the Book

A poetry collection about living "in the shadow of the mountain my father said was mother to us all."

Book Synopsis

A poetry collection about living "in the shadow of the mountain my father said was mother to us all."

Review Quotes

"The beauty of Woodsmoke is that it gives us the pleasures of both poetry and prose as it unveils not only the story of one man's life, but the story of a whole culture. I've long admired Wayne Caldwell's novels, and I'm now an admirer of his poetry. Woodsmoke is an absolute delight." -Ron Rash, In the Valley and Serena

"Sit in a quiet place, preferably in front of a woodfire, take deep breaths, and listen to Posey Green. His voice is a beautiful elegy for a southern Appalachian language and mindset almost gone." -Charles Frazier, Varina and Cold Mountain

"A beautiful book that reminded me of things about our culture that are so often overlooked. Woodsmoke and Posey are rooted in the core of the Appalachian spirit: a commitment to hard work, the land, and neighborliness. Like splitting and stacking wood, this collection of poems honors the complex intricacies of a life so many might refer to as simple or easy." -Savannah Sipple, WWJD and Other Poems

"Alert to the equal importance of nature's most miniscule creatures and the power of one's true love, this collection touches on the common threads that bind us all together." -Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Even As We Breathe

"Skeptical, thoughtful, funny, proud, and humble, Posey Green tells the most telling truths. I read this volume through, then read it again. For dessert." -Fred Chappell, As If It Were and I Am One of You Forever

"At once familiar and alive with curiosities and the kind of delight in the unknown I seek out in a book of poems, Woodsmoke brings me to a familiar landscape and breaks it open for me to feel anew." -Matthew Wimberley, All the Great Territories

About the Author

Wayne Caldwell is the author of the novels Cataloochee (2007) and Requiem by Fire (2010). He has won the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award from the Western North Carolina Historical Association and the James Still Award from the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Woodsmoke is his first collection of poetry. He lives with his wife, Mary, just west of Asheville, on land that has been in her family since 1831. In his spare time, he works up firewood.