Strange Life

Poetry. Perhaps it's a little late in the game for the Woodstock Nation to be looking for signs that their spirit guides are still alive and casting dangerous spells. But in this new collection by acclaimed poet Eleanor Lerman, they surely are – and they're not ready yet to leave the stage. Lerman gives voice to a generation's reawakened desire for insight into its own mortality. Many of those who followed the psychedelic path to a social and cultural revolution that never took...
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Poetry. Perhaps it's a little late in the game for the Woodstock Nation to be looking for signs that their spirit guides are still alive and casting dangerous spells. But in this new collection by acclaimed poet Eleanor Lerman, they surely are – and they're not ready yet to leave the stage. Lerman gives voice to a generation's reawakened desire for insight into its own mortality. Many of those who followed the psychedelic path to a social and cultural revolution that never took place are once again longing for clues to the mystery of what now lies ahead for them. As expressed in Lerman's voice, their yearning to know and to be heard is unyielding and urgent.

"The poems in Eleanor Lerman's Strange Life, in their different yet recognizable voices – old beats, social activist and dreamers – speak to us of where we have been, of how it has been along the way and where we might be going. There is joy in the recognition and yet something unnerving. Whether dealing with the large truths of this life or the small daily occurrences these poems remind us of our human ambiguity – we are all over the place; life is hard; life is good; life is what life does, moment by moment and that is the challenge she presents us: to string the good moments together, breath after breath, now and forever."—Kevin Patrick Sullivan

"Eleanor Lerman portrays what she calls 'postmodern exile.' Witty and tender, street smart and metaphysical, her poems at times read like dystopic arias that address readers directly. Yet if there is darkness ahead, there are also dear companions, bright days, and new blossoms. In brave and visionary terms, Lerman writes as if life itself is at stake."—Patricia Kirkpatrick