About the Book
"Among cornfields, junkyards, and a Dairy Queen, the eclectic cast
of Rustin Larson's Lost Letters and Windfalls marches across a rural
stage: an old woman small 'like a burlap bag/ full of nylons, ' family
members, angels, finches, the wind, the muse, and a young girl in a
Degas painting. The poet asserts: 'The light falls upon all things. I
have/ my memory of you--quiet as a/ picture frame among all these
broken houses.' In poem after poem, Larson captures images firmly
cast in time yet eternal--even slightly holy: 'But here's what we are:
each man, each woman, / each neuter object, a church.'"
"'Listen, ' Larson urges, 'the world/ begins in a moment.' The
moments described in these poems are painterly and vivid. The poet
trusts only his 'sense of touch.' They conjure a world of isolated
stillness where characters can 'choose to stand outside of ourselves
if we wish, the snow falling.' But also a world of connection where
'planets are fishing/ for us, wanting/ us' and '[t]he moon is the
friend of the earth / and the earth of the sun.' This is a book of small
tendernesses and lightning bolts that will stay with you."
Rustin Larson's poetry has appeared in The
New Yorker, The Iowa Review, and North
American Review. He won 1st Editor's
Prize from Rhino and was a prize winner in
The National Poet Hunt and The Chester
H. Jones Foundation contests. A graduate
of the Vermont College MFA in Writing,
Larson was an Iowa Poet at The Des Moines National Poetry
Festival, and a featured poet at the Poetry at Round Top Festival.
He is a poetry professor at Maharishi University, a writing instructor
at Kirkwood Community College, and has also been a
writing instructor at Indian Hills Community College.
His honors and awards also include Pushcart Prize Nominee
(seven times, 1988-2010); featured writer, DMACC Celebration
of the Literary Arts, 2007, 2008; and finalist, New England
Review Narrative Poetry Competition, 1985.
Review :
"He makes everything greater because he's a smart singer, every
poem is a win. Moments shine with an unselfconscious voice. We
cannot imagine how easily paint can be applied if we just speak in
real-time of consequential things with a depth of heart. Within that
modest framework, the passage of words has a capability and a sphere
of influence without limits. The poetry dynamics here are a genuine
voice, believable encounters, and the ability to make everything
new with the belief that no one's watching you, and nothing can
come of it, and there's nothing to get. This is poetry at its best."
Grace Cavalieri, Review of Library Rain in The Washington Independent Review of Books
"Like a painter saturating the colors of Earth, exalting its geography
from delirious beauty to war nightmares, Larson takes the reader on
a dreamlike journey, filled with flashbacks, family memories, and
ghosts."
Helene Cardona, Review of The Philosopher Savant in The Enchanting Verses Literary Review
"Even for Rustin Larson, a master of invention, Lost Letters and
Windfalls breaks into new territory. I love the images he chooses and
how he transforms them. It's fascinating to see where he goes in the
shorter jewel-like poems of this book. Brilliant writing, a delight on
every page, a joy to read!"
Diane Frank, Author of While Listening to the Enigma Variations: New and Selected Poems
"Rustin Larson is a terrific, elegant, original poet whose voice rings
so truly we become better people just by reading him."
Naomi Shihab Nye
"Among cornfields, junkyards, and a Dairy Queen, the eclectic cast
of Rustin Larson's Lost Letters and Windfalls marches across a rural
stage: an old woman small 'like a burlap bag/ full of nylons, ' family
members, angels, finches, the wind, the muse, and a young girl in a
Degas painting. The poet asserts: 'The light falls upon all things. I
have/ my memory of you--quiet as a/ picture frame among all these
broken houses.' In poem after poem, Larson captures images firmly
cast in time yet eternal--even slightly holy: 'But here's what we are:
each man, each woman, / each neuter object, a church.'"
"'Listen, ' Larson urges, 'the world/ begins in a moment.' The
moments described in these poems are painterly and vivid. The poet
trusts only his 'sense of touch.' They conjure a world of isolated
stillness where characters can 'choose to stand outside of ourselves
if we wish, the snow falling.' But also a world of connection where
'planets are fishing/ for us, wanting/ us' and '[t]he moon is the
friend of the earth / and the earth of the sun.' This is a book of small
tendernesses and lightning bolts that will stay with you."
Nynke Passi, Director, MFA in Creative Writing, MIU
