In Case of Bears: Poems by Peggy C. Hall

Replete with breathtaking landscapes, teeming with wildlife and charged with emotional power, "In Case Of Bears" marks the publishing debut of award-winning poet Peggy C. Hall. Inspired by her travels in the American West, "In Case Of Bears" straps the reader to the passenger seat of a cross-country trek, over Rockies, Bitterroots, Badlands, Blackfoot Hills and the Lewis & Clark trail with Hall's poetic wagon train west. Hall impresses us with mastery of poetic forms from around the world, including many complex Irish and Welsh forms of her ancestry. "Idaho Suite" pays homage to Hall's own private Idaho, its majestic wilderness deep within untamed America, her summer home in its center, the danger and delight surrounding it. "The Rest of The West" follows Hall through the Rockies, Pacific and Southwest, and the philosophical dilemmas of America as they emerge from her observation. In "Wild Things" Hall turns this voice inward to face the bears of her psyche while mirrored by the real dangers of animal encounters. Triumphant and uplifting "You Gotta Have Art" and "CeleBEARations" highlight Hall's literary prowess while filling the reader with positive spirit. "What About Our Teddy Bear?" sees the return of hero Gus Greenbear to the written page, complete with entourage and new adventures. And finally, "Route 12, Idaho" returns us to a respectful view of wondrous Nature. With a masterfully poetic voice, Hall transforms her transcontinental travels, roadside revelations, encounters with wild animals and even wilder folk into poignant poetic gemstones, quick on the pulse of a Native America seldom seen today.