Shall We Dance?: Poems of Desire and Meditation

As is seen in Susan K. Hagen's first poem in Shall We Dance? she celebrates not only the natural world but a rare joy in being alive. Just as passion, desire and longing are poetic themes explored again and again in the poems of Mary Oliver, they live on in Hagen's work. And there is a vibrant reverence informing these poems: instead of "a strong wind" being "a cruel wind," it becomes "the kiss of the spirit." Gardens being her "Gethsemane," she brings her readers there for love, protection and ultimately for universal peace. The reader's answer to this poet's question raised in the title poem should be Yes, we will "waltz to the wind" like all the trees of the world. Through keen observation, Susan K. Hagen unveils a plethora of wisdom by addressing a garden's alluring power to feed the soul. Just as the notable 14th century poet Hafiz presents an idolized Belovèd in ghazals that quiet the spirit, the speaker in Hagen's masterful poems offers equally compelling insights gleaned from a Belovèd. An experienced gardener, the author addresses an array of themes in lyrical poems that invite the reader to look closely at the natural world-at its trees waltzing to the wind and birds flitting to the rhythm of dance. Collectively, these illuminating poems enrich our lives with revelations that will resonate for years.

About the Author :
Turning attention to writing poetry after over forty years of teaching medieval literature and working in higher education administration, Susan K. Hagen began publishing poems in journals such as Haiku Journal, Ephemerae, Cattails, and The Avocet: A Journal of Nature Poetry. Bringing that interest in writing together with her interests in literary gardens of the Middle Ages and horticultural gardens stemming from her work as a Master Gardener, she also launched a blog on gardens and their cultural significance, After Eden (aftereden.blog). The site remains active and led to a speaking schedule on gardens, native plants, and pollinators. Already interested in the writings of the medieval mystics, such as Julian of Norwich, Susan became intrigued with the work of the thirteenth-century Persian poet Rumi during a trip to Turkey in 2014. Soon after, she discovered the work of a next-century Persian poet and mystic, Hafiz. Affinities with these three writers, the English metaphysical poets, and long-lived literary and cultural associations of gardens became the inspiration for Shall We Dance? Susan's academic publications, including Allegorical Remembrance, focus on medieval allegory, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Julian of Norwich. She received her undergraduate degree from Gettysburg College, her master's degree from the University of Maryland, and her doctorate in medieval literature from the University of Virginia. She holds the title Mary Collett Munger Professor Emerita of English at Birmingham-Southern College, a private liberal arts college in Alabama. She lives in Birmingham but spends much time at a small lake house where she gardens and finds motivation for her poetry.

Review :
As is seen in Susan K. Hagen's first poem in Shall We Dance? she celebrates not only the natural world but a rare joy in being alive. Just as passion, desire and longing are poetic themes explored again and again in the poems of Mary Oliver, they live on in Hagen's work. And there is a vibrant reverence informing these poems: instead of "a strong wind" being "a cruel wind," it becomes "the kiss of the spirit." Gardens being her "Gethsemane," she brings her readers there for love, protection and ultimately for universal peace. The reader's answer to this poet's question raised in the title poem should be Yes, we will "waltz to the wind" like all the trees of the world. - Joan McBreen, author of Map and Atlas Through keen observation, Susan K. Hagen unveils a plethora of wisdom by ad-dressing a garden's alluring power to feed the soul. Just as the notable 14th century poet Hafiz presents an idolized Belovèd in ghazals that quiet the spirit, the speaker in Hagen's masterful poems offers equally compelling insights gleaned from a Belovèd. An experienced gardener, the author addresses an array of themes in lyrical poems that invite the reader to look closely at the natural world-at its trees waltzing to the wind and birds flitting to the rhythm of dance. Collectively, these illuminating poems enrich our lives with revelations that will resonate for years. - Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Virginia Poet Laureate Emerita