Goldenrod

A powerful collection of poems that look at parenthood, solitude, love and memory. Pulling objects from everyday life – a hallway mirror, a rock found in her son’s pocket, a field of goldenrods at the side of the road – Maggie Smith reveals the magic of the present moment.

The poems in Goldenrod celebrate the contours of daily life, explore and delight in the space between thought and experience, and remind us that we decide what is beautiful.

Reviews of Goldenrod

To read Maggie Smith is to embrace the achingly precious beauty of the present moment * * TIME * * A captivating collection from a wise, accessible poet * * People * * Maggie Smith is that rare poet who can inspire you, break your heart and make you stop astonished at the planet around you – all in the same poem, often in the same moment. The wisdom of Goldenrod is more than hard-earned, it is a gift — ILYA KAMINSKY, author DEAF REPUBLIC Goldenrod brims with fervent love for this gorgeous, wounded world. These are poems you want to rush into, poems you will return to more slowly again and again — ELLEN BASS, author of INDIGO The poems in Goldenrod alternate between gratitude and anger, bafflement and forgiveness, but more than anything else, they radiate love. To read Maggie Smith's poetry is to realize we aren't alone — RHETT MILLER Goldenrod is lush and intimate, full of joy and sorrow, fire and field. With wonder and poignancy, Maggie Smith navigates a reconstitution of self as she grieves what is lost. Her way of seeing is positively alchemical — MARCUS WICKER, author of SILENCER With keen perception Maggie Smith charts the world like a cartographer – all the greens and blues and yellows are there, but so are all the troughs and valleys, the darkest wonders. Smith holds our hands and leads us into and through all of the grief, beauty, and alchemy of the world — VICTORIA CHANG, author of OBIT The poems in Goldenrod are carried by that brave and devastating intersection of grief and gratitude. Smith's words reach our hearts, speaking on behalf of the delicious "good dark" that breaks before the dawn — TIANA CLARK, author of I CAN'T TALK ABOUT THE TREES WITHOUT THE BLOOD No injustice escapes her attention, nor any personal hurt, Smith's daring empathy and her knowing grasp of survival deliver us to a place where pain and beauty hold hands together in grace and transcendence — BARBARA RAS, author of THE BLUES OF HEAVEN