Crossing the Hackensack

Edelman, Bart

Prometheus Press

Book by Edleman, Bart, Edelman, Bart

Under Damari's Dress

Literature & Fiction

Edleman, Bart

Poetry

Valentine Pub Group Dist

This selection and its somewhat haphazard direction of how so many of us interact romantically―on the surface―is a gentle reminder that be it fate, chance, or will, we appear destined to carry out our mission to couple and partner, no matter what the cause or effect. If we truly desire companionship, at all cost, there is probably someone out there seeking the same measure―for better or worse. Whether it is simply ourselves, or the likes of Nathanael West (“Day of the Locus”), Amadeus Mozart (“The Dogs of Amadeus”), Mark Twain (“Mark Twain’s Cigar”), Natalie Wood (“The Late Natalie Wood”), or the poor children who haunt the camps at Terezin and Auschwitz (“ Little Ghosts”), we are all in need of the dose of kindness that love’s dispensary provides if we are fortunate enough to find it, hidden or not, among us.Whether or not a higher power is at work to guide us and grant us “The Word,” or we are determined to discover a path towards salvation through the generous acts of others―or ourselves―we follow an unconscious path, at times, and seek refuge, where possible, in places and locations we might have never imagined to investigate and bear witness. It may be upon “The Road to Jerusalem,” aboard “The New Train,” or in “The Terminal of Grief,” yet we still search for solace and speak the only common language we understand, this pursuit of love we may even try to escape―but never deny.

Alphabet of Love

Red Hen Press

What does it mean to live a full life as the countdown is nearing its end? The variety of narrators and characters in this poetry collection provide answers in these snapshots of impactful moments. Fifty-four poems, divided into four sections—Yellow, Red, Black, and White—balance humor and seriousness, the savored and the fleeting, the makeup of human experience.\nWhistling to Trick the Wind is Bart Edelman’s seventh poetry collection.\nPraise: 
InWhistling to Trick the Wind,Bart Edelman asks us to look at the world differently. In the opening poem, “The Woodpecker,” the speaker confides, “I ask myself what I’ve done/To earn admission into heaven.” The poems that follow explore the challenges life brings with honesty and wry humor. In “Maude Tells Claude,” Edelman invites the reader to “Slowly place one foot/ In front of the other.” That act of slow reflection is at the center of “Truth or Consequence” as we ponder “How possible is it/To heal the heart.” Ultimately, it is our heart that has grown as we take the time to read and wonder about and revel in Edelman’s poems. 
–Jill Gerard, Editor, Chautauqua\nBart Edelman’s Whistling to Trick the Wind captures the dilemma of humanity’s timeless struggle—the desire to be free in a world full of constraints, sometimes external, but also habitually internal. The collection effortlessly weaves together the types of experiences we are sure to recognize in our own domain, and perhaps have even felt ourselves. Edelman has managed to create a world that is both unique and yet precisely our own, where, as the speaker of “Revolution” proclaims, “the only name you know / For uncertainty is fate.” In “Forest? Trees?” readers will sympathize with Uncle Harry, a man of ideas, who meets with an unfortunate accident, while it is Cousin Grace, a nitpicker at heart with a “series of hideous husbands,” who lives to be 99. As our journey with the poet continues, we must ask ourselves, like the speaker in “Collapsing City,” whether we really are just “men and women / Gripped tightly in nature’s fist, / Unable to claim reason / As anything more than chance—” or if the answer perhaps lies somewhere else, as our “future is cast / In neverending chapters / Of truth or consequence.” This is a masterfully-crafted collection from beginning to end. 
–David Garyan, Assistant Editor, Interlitq\nWith the sharpened blade of a consummate craftsman, along with a razor wit, Edelman pens another volume of poetry, perhaps his most intimate, and perhaps the collection that delves most deeply into his irresistible characters’ lives: a magician, an Uber driver, a presidential candidate, a broken lover, many others. Always engaging, always close and familiar, Edelman continues to shine brightly, especially so in this new collection, Whistling to Trick the Wind. Read it. Enjoy. It will bring you light, too. 
–Kevin Rabas, Poet Laureate of Kansas (2017-2019), More Than Words\nThese poems are set against a universe where life is often meaningless except for the fact that Fate has “cooked the dice.” Edelman’s dealing with this plight ranges from surrealistic comedy and wordplay, to somber eulogy, to romantic love poem—all of which are delivered with reader-friendly wit, craftsmanship, and intelligence. The book finally moves from wry humor as a means of coping to the lifesaving power of awareness and love. An especially moving reflection of that shift is a recasting of Thomas’ famous villanelle, in which Edelman says to his dying mother, “Good women watch each wave and see how bright/ Their deeds have danced across a silver bay.” Whistling to Trick the Wind is a voyage well worth taking. 
–William Trowbridge, Poet Laureate of Missouri (2012-2016), Vanishing Point

Whistling to Trick the Wind: Poems

Meadowlark

This Body Is Never at Rest: New and Selected Poems features 30 years of Bart Edelman's explorations of a multitude of perspectives, a wide range of lifetime experiences. The collection includes 46 new poems, as well as a generous selection of poems from each of his seven previous collections: Whistling to Trick the Wind, The Geographer's Wife, The Last Mojito, The Gentle Man, The Alphabet of Love, Under Damaris' Dress, and Crossing the Hackensack. Like the title suggests, Edelman's poetry takes the reader on a journey to gain insight, fiddle with mystery, and unmask the unordinary.

This Body Is Never at Rest: New and Selected Poems