2008-06-22 home again home again

Barry is, as "the Art of Conversation" and his latest poetry ("Nature Mystic") shows, among our finest writers about respectful and intimate human relationships with the larger than human world. Blending as few others can/do animism and mysticism into a potent invitation and provocation of a return to intense as well as everyday encounters with the living world of which we are members. Art of Conversation requires a non-linear reading - this isn't a step by step guide. Barry doesn't expect you to follow in his footsteps but to get out there yourself and seek to converse. The book is oh so much more than a DIY manual. It is as rich, vibrant and, at times, elusive as what readers will be looking for: ways to be present to other-than-human beings long enough for them to think we warrant conversation. buy it, read it, be it.