The Shadow Loom Poems
Published by North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc
Copyright © 2010 Mary Willette Hughes
Paperback, 147 Pages
$14.95 plus shipping and handling and applicable taxes
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In her third book of poetry,”The Shadow Loom Poems,” Hughes weaves poems around five central themes: Love, Sorrow, Poetry, Pain, and Joy. With each theme, the poet designs a tapestry of her life experiences and events which may resonate with readers, offering a universal application to their own lives.
Read from “The Shadow Loom Poems”
“The Gift Given,” taken from Weaving Love
“Storm,” taken from Weaving Sorrow
“The Shadow Loom,” taken from Weaving Poetry
“In Zaire,” taken from Weaving Pain
“Weaving a Design,” taken from Weaving Joy
Critical Acclaim
“Mary Willette Hughes’ third poetry collection is the result of over two decades of honing her craft as a poet. The Shadow Loom Poems is a rich and delicious collection of poetry that is both intimately personal and universal. For those who facilitate poetry work with others, this can serve as an appreciated resource. The Shadow Loom Poems are diverse and memorable, and would be a worthy addition to your library.”
– Ingrid Tegnér, MSW, CPT, M/S,
Director of the Institute of Poetry Therapy of Maryland
“Like a gentle wave, Mary Willette Hughes’s poems glide over the jagged rocks of grief and pain, carrying readers to a welcoming shore of healing.”
– Bill Meissner, author of American Compass,
winner of the Midwest Book Award for Spirits in the Grass
“This third collection of poetry shows Hughes at the height of her powers to appreciate the munificence of a long and well-lived life. Her voice is warm and wise in the knowledge that, as Walt Whitman wrote, “Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.”
– Margaret Haase, author of Milk and Tides,
winner of the Midwest Book Award for Poetry in 2009
“Mary Willette Hughes’s poems are filled with close observation of the things that matter most in life. She writes with urgency and such deep clarity that she makes us see again, too.”
– Mark Conway, author of Dreaming man, Face Down
“These poems, using Hughes’ own words, are “pilgrims of hope,” sent out into a dangerous but dearly loved world.”
– Mara Faulkner, O.S.B., author of Going Blind: A Memoir,
finalist for the 2010 Minnesota Book Award
“The Shadow Loom Poems is a beautifully made work, culminating twenty years of poem-making brought together into one volume! The weaving and making of each poem is clear: shape and rhythm, choice of word and punctuation, silence and pause, layer of thought and feeling, space and plumb-line—all are clearly cared for and attended to. The range of these poems has great appeal– at turns serious, sensuous, humorous, historical, metaphoric, playful and powerful. The poet’s voice, naturally drawn to the spiritual, does not forget to speak of the shadow as expressed in fierce poems about racism like Detroit and Ghosts.
This is not only a volume of poetry. Hughes gives a direct voice to poetry as healer. It may be stated this way: there is an invitation to the reader to renew themselves and perhaps begin a healing process through the poetry offered in this collection.”
– John Fox, CPT, author of Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-making
Mary Willette Hughes 