Poetry. One of New Mexico's finest contemporary poets, Miriam Sagan has consistently explored emotional clarity and compassion within life's myriad interactions. In her new book, RAG TRADE, she presents poems of borders--between nations and cultures, in history and the imagination. Crossing borders braids lives. Fabric serves as metaphor throughout these poems, whether the ikats of the Silk Road, prayer flags of Tibet, Rio Grande rug weaving, the garment industry of New Jersey, or Jewish ritual coverings. War, travel, immigration, and trade bring together people and ideas that don't necessarily belong together but which lead to new connections and social dynamics. RAG TRADE also includes poems on women artists, such as Southwestern architect Mary Jane Colter and the painter Emily Carr, which reveal the unforeseen but entwining influences on personal history.