Elaine Heveron writes of her world-its thingness-with relish and affection, each poem offering artifacts of a shareable life-the books that shaped her (Boomer) generation, silver earrings, a handmade felted hat, the novelty of a warm January day, the funky textured tights that capture the essence of a treasured friend, and rituals in a marriage with a man who is also a perfect companion. Each poem is a box of keepsakes, and each becomes a keepsake for the reader. Leslie Ullman, author of three poetry collections, winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award, the Iowa Poetry Prize and recipient of two NEA Fellowships Elaine Heveron has an amazing ability to discover treasures in the ordinary-a passing encounter with a stranger, a bit of casual conversation, small coincidences. Her poems trace the powerful infl uences of the past in the present and the weight of personal experience. Light and dark, the serious and the playful are part of her vision-observant, compassionate, deeply engaged in our humanity. Gladys Swan, author of Carnival for the Gods, winner of the Tate Prize for Poetry and the Lawrence Foundation Award for Fiction Elaine Heveron's poetry is intimate. A painful recollection of the wedding dance she did not dance. The scent of a friend on an unexpected gift. The joy of a loving encounter with a long lost friend. Her poems pull me deep into the moment she is exploring, as she unwraps it until I fi nd something of my own life in hers. As Mystie the cat sidles her way from poem to poem, I see every cat I ever knew. And that is a good thing. Mark Hare, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle In Elaine Heveron's poems epiphanies are revealed through an awareness of the ongoing, everyday life we all lead, but too few of us truly see in the way she manages to. Through her keen observation, and even keener emotional connections, we too can cut through the clutter of our own lives, while reading these poems, to glimpse, along with her, those rare fl ashes of recognition and knowing. Joe Flaherty, Writers and Books, Rochester, NY