Publisher's Synopsis
Set the Night Singing is a chapbook collection of 44 poems, each rich with artistry and lyricism, each drawing the reader in and ferrying them through a tiny tale. Some of the journeys are quick as the flashing of sun on the sea - in others, Wagner guides the reader to levitate a moment inside the beauty of the language.
Wagner defines the muse as the characters peopling her story worlds, and to them she dedicates this collection. A central theme running through the chapbook is the worth of challenge and the value of viewing pain as a tool for creating art. And nature - many of the poems within this collection shed light on the bounty that nature lends not only as a source of inspiration for art, but as a source of healing for the artist.
The musicality of these poems draws the reader in, as a hook in a story might. Their openings hold energy and promise - an invitation to dance. Some hold a feeling of syncopation, like jazz. Others feel as smooth as a nocturne sonata. And all of them invite the reader to glimpse inside Wagner's creative space, to feel the movement of inspiration and the strike of joy at discovering worlds through words.
In this chapbook, Wagner demonstrates her masterful grasp on the art of poetry. The words are not only beautiful to the ear, but to the heart. She helps the reader to feel the hope that she herself feels, even when writing in the context of pain. In these poems Wagner plays on themes present in her other works, including finding oneself and the liberty of discovering one's inner strength. And she celebrates the potential that art carries to bring healing and help us survive.
Lovers of literary fiction, poetry, and nature writing will enjoy the lyrical journey of creation that Tricia D. Wagner has designed in Set the Night Singing.
