Unfold - by Steven Swank (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

To the editor, biographical requests seem straightforward--show the face, state the facts. To the author (captivated watching a robin walk the ridgeline of a neighbor's roof as the first rays of morning light enable silhouette, the air so damp with last night's rain still clinging to every birthing leaf bud), the math and matter of a bio seem trivial and bland. The poems in Unfold, Steven Swank's second collection, celebrate how we and our fellow creatures on this water droplet we call Earth interact and are interdependent, and that our commonality binds us to a shared future.

Review Quotes

"I break myself away from the nicest scene happening here at home at this moment: my 88-year-old mom sitting and reading Steve's poems with my almost-8-year-old daughter Sarah. They are discussing meanings, laughing at the funny poems, and having such a sweet time together, thanks to him!"
--Reva Youngstein

"An amazing collection! Steve Swank's poetry is moving and playful, swirling and forgiving, succinct and alluring, thought provoking and lovely. It is certainly a book you do not want to miss reading, over and over."
--Susan Linney

"Steve's poetry is so thoughtfully written, I have enjoyed every bit of it. This is my favorite book to take to the porch with my morning coffee. It's nice to be able to read four or five pages and start my day with a smile or a giggle. I highly recommend this book!
--Wendy Gollnitz Santilli

"As Steven Swank observes, 'poems react to pressures, ' and here in this collection, readers find throughout the true purpose of a gentle and concentrated attentiveness. Traversing continents, experiences, and myriad questions, as well as diverse relationships with family, friends, strangers and creatures, this poetry captures the gaze of a peace-seeker looking within for solace and strength. A generous and compassionate poet, Swank extends to us the gift of his sportive voice in earnest verse, enfolding our attention."
--Anupama Amaran, Writer, Editor, Educator

"Steve's observations are stunning; they can be poignant, hilarious and heartbreaking. Always accessible and thought provoking, his poetry makes me want to slow down to be more observant of life around me."
--Eric Weidman

"Steven's poems are pure philosophy, day-to-day inspirations revealing the soul. A rhyme echoes a line of prose, interrupts, and yet does not, for each work is a whole, in Steven's dry, thoughtful voice, an invitation to mindfulness. You might think that a book of so many poems would become repetitious; it does not, as each poem touches a familiar scene, a different theme, an incident, a love, a goose, a town afraid of trees. It is life unfolded. One hundred and eighty pages, and yet I'd be glad for more."
--Jeremy Salter, Co-author of The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived

"The best books of poems have great range. This is one of them. Steven Swank has chosen the perfect title for his new collection. It unfolds like an origami flower, revealing unexpected angles at every turn. His whimsy is blessedly intelligent, effortlessly meaningful. As Auden said of Forster, he 'trips us up like an unnoticed stone' and coaxes us to chuckle with him at the breathtaking absurdities of life. But these witty, lighthearted songs are matched page for page by much deeper material that reflects an acute and reticent heart hoping each instant for connections to others. Join him, and your world will get brighter." --Barry Sheinkopf, author of What There Was and Collected Poems