Publisher's Synopsis
Barbara Loots wields language with the delicacy of a surgeon wielding a scalpel. Here she evokes life's essence in a delightful panorama, and the resulting world view is entirely captivating. The poems are memorable while tripping lightly on the mind and tongue, gentle and melodic, even in contemplation of endings. Whether writing of passions or ironies, Barbara's deft sure touch encapsulates images, we thought we knew, and some we'd never considered, in a masterful and unique manner. There is both gravity and levity here, underlaid with a generosity of spirit. Penetrating and impressive.
Vera Ignatowitsch Editor-in-Chief, Better Than Starbucks
Endings abound in The Beekeeper: the closing of a summer lake cottage, the cleaving of a couple married the day of the Moon Landing, the burial of friends. Yet these poems resonate with humor and joy in the present moment. It is never too late to "give the embers of your life a poke," the wise woman speaker tells us. Let us all raise a fireplace poker to Barbara Loots for stirring up such lovely sparks and flames.
Julie Kane, Louisiana Poet Laureate 2011-2013, Author of Mothers of Ireland (LSU Press, 2020)
Barbara Loots, a poet deservedly lauded for her inimitable light verse, reveals in The Beekeeper that she is also expert at composing memorable poems, many of them in complex forms, that have far less to do with laughter than with thoughtful insights about life in this erratic, enigmatic century of ours. From some pithy reminders of our own mortality to the reassurances of long-term love to the welcome solace of (yes) laughter, the entire collection comes through engagingly at every turn of the page.
Marilyn L. Taylor, Wisconsin Poet Laureate 2009-2010, Author of Step on a Crack
