Mornings Like This

"Found poems are to their poet what no-fault insurance is to beneficiaries: payoffs waiting to happen where everyone wins and no one is blamed. Dillard culls about 40 such happy accidents from sources as diverse as a The American Boys Handy Book (1882) and the letters of Van Gogh. . . . the poet aims for a lucky, loaded symbolism that catapults the reader into an epiphany never imagined by the original authors." — Publishers Weekly

In Mornings Like This, beloved author Annie Dillard has given us a witty and moving collection of poems in a wholly original form, sure to charm her fans, both old and new.

Extracting and rearranging sentences from old and odd books—From D.C. Beards "The American Boys Handy Book" in 1882 to Van Goghs letters to David Greysons "The Countrymans Year" in 1936—Dillard has composed poems on poetry’s most heartfelt themes of love, nature, nostalgia, and death. A unique, clever, and original collection, Dillard’s characteristic voice sounds throughout the pages.

What emerges from this literary experiment is a collection that is pure Dillard—a masterclass in seeing the poetic in the everyday:

Found Poetry Perfected: Using sentences from sources as diverse as nineteenth-century boys manuals and Van Goghs letters, Dillard creates something entirely new and profound. A Literary Collage: A witty, moving, and clever arrangement of borrowed text that sounds with the unmistakable voice of one of Americas greatest writers. Timeless Human Themes: Dillard explores the most heartfelt subjects—love and loss, nature and nostalgia—through an entirely original lens. From a Pulitzer Prize Winner: A must-read for fans of Annie Dillards iconic work and anyone who loves inventive, intellectual, and lyrical poetry.