In a series of fascinating conversations with thirty-four American poets, and in dozens of poems, The Language of Life celebrates language in its "most exalted, wrenching, delighted, and concentrated form," and its unique power to re-create the human experience: falling in love, facing death, leaving home, playing basketball, losing faith, finding God. Poets speak with Moyers about their work, their lives, and their creativity. In the tradition of the bestselling Healing and the Mind and The Power of Myth.


From Library Journal
If politicians, professors, and princes can be interviewed by topnotch TV journalists like Moyers, why not poets? This companion to an eight-part PBS series ranges from Gary Snyder to Adrienne Rich to Jimmy Santiago Baca in its quest for excellence.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
What with the proliferation of poetry slams (reading stuff in bars and enduring whatever the crowd yells back) and of perf-pos (i.e., performance poets) opening for rock acts, poetry in America may be claiming a noncoterie audience for the first time since World War II. Public TV interviewer Moyers aims to abet such a development in his latest series, which this book accompanies--and then some. The volume presents versions of the new series' 15 interviews that are longer than what appears on the small screen, interviews with 14 other poets who figured in earlier Moyers programs, and a statement, portrait, and poem from each of 5 more. With a few exceptions (Quincy Troupe, Jimmy Santiago Baca), Moyers' interviewees aren't even tangentially of the slam and perf-po types, but they are lively and intriguing as they discuss particular poems and the cultures, personal experiences, and gifts out of which they write. More interesting--and bound to arouse the ire of those for whom the politically archliberal Moyers is a perennial target--is these poets' ethnic diversity, which arguably makes this book and the TV series more enticing to the greater popular audience that Moyers descries emerging. Anyone who loves poetry more than politics shouldn't carp all that much, not with Adrienne Rich, Donald Hall, Rita Dove, Li-Young Lee, Joy Harjo, and Stanley Kunitz among those selected to body forth that diversity. Ray Olson


Midwest Book Review
Conversations with over thirty modern American poets highlight dozens of poems and comment on language and the fine art of creating literary works from life experiences. Moyers' interviews juxtapose sample verses from poets such as Victor Hernandez Cruz, Jane Kenyon, and Adrienne Rich, creating a wealth of fine writings.


From the Publisher
In the companion volume to his PBS series, Bill Moyers celebrates the vitality of English in its most essential form. His interviews with a dazzlingly diverse array of writers reveal that poetry is flourishing all over America, reaching across borders of race, gender, and culture.

B & W photographs throughout


From the Inside Flap
"Poets live the lives all of us live," says Bill Moyers, "with one big difference. They have the power--the power of the word--to create a world of thoughts and emotions other can share. We only have to learn to listen."



In a series of fascinating conversations with thirty-four American poets, The Language Of Life celebrates language in its "most exalted, wrenching, delighted, and concentrated form," and its unique power to re-create the human experience: falling in love, facing death, leaving home, playing basketball, losing faith, finding God. Listening to Linda McCarriston's award-winning poems about a child trapped in a violent home, or to Jimmy Santiago Baca explaining how words changed his life in prison, or to David Mura describing his Japanese American grandfather's experience in relocation camps, or to Sekou Sundiata stitching the magic of his childhood church in Harlem to the African tradition of storytelling, or to Gary Snyder invoking the natural wonder of mountains and rivers, or to Adrienne Rich calling for honesty in human relations, all testify to the necessity and clarity of the poet's voice, and all give hope that from such a wide variety of racial, ethnic, and religious threads we might yet weave a new American fabric.



"'Listen,' said the storytellers of old, 'listen and you shall hear,'" explains Bill Moyers. The Language Of Life is a joyous, life-affirming invitation to listen, learn, and experience the exhilarating power of the spoken word.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

ANNOTATION

In a series of fascinating conversations with a dazzingly diverse cross section of American writers, this companion volume to a thrilling new eight-part PBS series celebrates language in its "most exalted, wrenching, delighted, and concentrated form, " and in its power to recreate the human experience. Contributors include Gary Snyder, Jimmy Santiago, Robert Bly, Adrienne Rich, and many others. 80 photos.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In a series of fascinating conversations with thirty-four American poets, and in dozens of poems, The Language of Life celebrates language in its "most exalted, wrenching, delighted, and concentrated form," and its unique power to re-create the human experience: falling in love, facing death, leaving home, playing basketball, losing faith, finding God. The poets who speak with Mr. Moyers about their work, their lives, and their creativity form a dazzlingly diverse chorus of American voices. Listening to Linda McCarriston's award-winning poems about a child trapped in a violent home, or to Coleman Barks resurrecting the love poems of a thirteenth-century mystic, or to Jimmy Santiago Baca explaining how words changed his life in prison, or to David Mura describing his Japanese American grandfather's experience in relocation camps, or to Sekou Sundiata weaving the magic of his childhood church in Harlem to the African tradition of storytelling, or to Claribel Alegria and Daisy Zamora reflecting on a woman's life in Central America, or to Gary Snyder invoking the natural wonder of mountains and rivers, or to Adrienne Rich calling for honesty in human relations - all testify to the necessity and clarity of the poet's voice in a culture where words are held hostage to the propaganda of commerce and politics, and all give hope that from such a wide variety of racial, ethnic, and religious threads we might yet weave a new American fabric.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

The Language of Life offers the complete audio track to Moyers's PBS television series. Listeners will hear participants in the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival as they read their work and discuss the ideas behind their poetry. Moyers shows his usual enthusiasm while interviewing the poets and discovering what makes each of them unique. Although this presentation will not attract as diverse an audience as his previous programs (e.g., Bill Moyers' World of Ideas: Dissolving Boundaries, Audio Reviews, LJ 9/1/91), the material contains the work of poets from nearly every school and culture. From the Japanese haiku poetry translated by Robert Haas to the emotionally moving poems of Daisy Zamora, there is literally something for everyone here. Recommended for future poets and the libraries they frequent.-Theresa Connors, Arkansas Technological Univ., Russellville

BookList - Ray Olson