"Claire Weiner has packed an abundance of life into The Sun Finds Us: childhood memories, adolescent angst, the adult dramas of romance and marriage, as well as several very moving elegies. Weiner's capacity for creating images and involving us in the stories she tells, as well as the musical qualities of her poems, make reading this book a pleasure. Above all else, these poems speak to us from the heart."
-Richard Tillinghast, author of Blue If Only
I Could Tell You and Night Train to Memphis
"Poet Claire Weiner, in her collection The Sun Find Us writes of love and loss, of the value of a life, of history and its remaining impacts on familial stories, with a tenderness and generosity of heart that infuses all of her work. She portrays details and shifts with a deft and observant eye. In so doing, she brings us to epiphanies of understanding, empathy, and appreciation for the writer's skill. This is a collection I will return to again and again. Weiner's work often includes the wry moment, a touch of humor, or a scathing evaluation of that which ought to be challenged. I am so glad to have her poems close at hand."
-Pia T avila-Borsheim, Ph.D., author of Above the Birch Line
"A profound undercurrent of loss runs through Claire Weiner's new poetry collection, The Sun Finds Us, but Weiner transmutes that loss into hope by insisting on the redemptive powers of love and human connection. There's an elegance in her approach to narrative and image that makes reading her poems feel like conversing with a patient and thoughtful friend. It's rare to find a poetic voice this authentic."
-Cal Freeman, author of The Weather of Our Names
"Like the varied snapshots of generations of family and friends gone or living, precious moments, and sudden revelations, tender or harsh, Weiner gathers her memories like the stars she gathers for safekeeping for her infant grandson. While this collection spans a lifetime of thoughtful exploration, and is a necklace of rich and deftly crafted gems each commemorating moments of innocence and/or experience, there is nothing static at all about this book. Each page comes alive with vivid images and turns, as the poems embrace pivotal moments in love like "I think it was a bottle of Zinfandel, but who can remember?" or describe "the scar that no one ever saw" and the "broken, heart/ was repaired/ with harvested/pieces of himself" when the poet talks about her father's struggles, and we trust this voice, especially in these dark times, that claims "Our path is uncharted, but we never lose our way", and that indeed, the sun will find us."
-Zilka Joseph, author of Sweet Malida: Memories of a Bene Israel Woman, Sparrows and Dust, Sharp Blue Search of Flame.
Related Subjects
Poetry