This book is about the intersection of repetition and progress. What is done over and over silhouettes what is novel and surprising. These poems are rooted in meditation and writing practices, and blossom in the light of human experience. They lyrically describe perception and activity moving in many layers of reality.
Long Shadows of Practiceis philosophical yet felt, quiet and funny, fantastical and full of heart. It lands lightly with hope in the possibilities of connections.
About the Author :
Beth Jacobs is a writer, clinical psychologist and transmitted lay teacher in the Soto Zen tradition. She is the author of Writing for Emotional Balance, Paper Sky, The Original Buddhist Psychology, and A Buddhist Journal, and she facilitates expressive writing groups with children and grandparents. She lives with her beloved family and gray cat. Her work serves to encourage the unique enlightened voice within each being.
Review :
"In these tender and moving poems, Jacobs sends us personal missives, letters that connect to our sorrow, hope, shock, and delight. Through her discerning mind's eye, we see the natural world and our closest relationships anew. What more could we ask of poetry, especially in a collection that shadows our spiritual practice?
-Polly Young-Eisendrath, author of The Present Heart
"Jacobs guides us gently with her keen mind to face 'the particulars' of the ordinary for nothing less than to free us from the clutches of chaos. In Long Shadows of Practice, we hold our breath at her stellar use of craft and language."
-Perie Longo, author of Baggage Claim, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate Emerita
"Jacobs' poems are like dispatches from a dusty mountain road, reports of the poet's personal journey to the interior. Their vivid images and deep sense of the now will be appreciated by poetry lovers and fellow seekers alike."
-Charles Rossiter, author of Green Mountain Meditations
