Each day is a life in light,
a birthing and dying, a fierce grabbing
before letting go . . . .
“The Light in San Carlos” by Maril Crabtree
a birthing and dying, a fierce grabbing
before letting go . . . .
“The Light in San Carlos” by Maril Crabtree
Online Publications - a Sampler
|
"Mother-Daughter Conversation" Literary Mama "Lotus" The DMQ Review "Sustenance" Persimmon Tree "Planting" Orchards Poetry Journal "Come True" Pensive Literary Journal |
"Highschool Reunion" Wild Goose Poetry Review "Protector" Spank the Carp "New Mexico Sky" "Driving to Dripping Springs" 200NewMexicoPoems " Sign" Mockingheart Review |
Other Works
Winner of a Kansas Notable Books Award, 2018
1st Runner Up, 2018 Thorpe Menn Award
Fireflies in the Gathering Dark shows us the diversity through which the lyrical voice breathes and experiences poetry. From a mother’s house to the prairies, from boxes in the attic to the belly of a poem, from the Midwest to Seattle, or through a conversation with other writers, Crabtree takes the reader by the hand and sees in these galleries of memories experiences of joy, love, sadness and peace. Mother Nature is also present in her many manifestations: a pine tree, wild grass, a blue heron, or the ocean where “tomorrow a new text will cast its alphabet ashore.”
Xánath Caraza, Donde la luz es violeta / Where the Light is Violet
I am struck with images set in scenes of recall— seersucker, trucks spraying DDT, a box of Christmas lights in the attic— all memories “from childhood’s ‘safe’ harbor.” I am struck with the detail of clothing most of all— a circle skirt, a scoop neck blouse, ruffled swimsuit, jeans that huddle close to the waist, the swish of a taffeta dress that keeps time to music, and socks in all seasons, of course. The words of Maril Crabtree clothe us with grace as well as the danger of “familiar terrors.” Her work is a retrieval of memory in a whirl of primary colors making “something into something else.” Her words provide necessary momentum for moving in traffic like a red truck darting “here and there like a dragonfly.”
Diane Glancy, The Collector of Bodies, Concern for Syria and the Middle East
1st Runner Up, 2018 Thorpe Menn Award
Fireflies in the Gathering Dark shows us the diversity through which the lyrical voice breathes and experiences poetry. From a mother’s house to the prairies, from boxes in the attic to the belly of a poem, from the Midwest to Seattle, or through a conversation with other writers, Crabtree takes the reader by the hand and sees in these galleries of memories experiences of joy, love, sadness and peace. Mother Nature is also present in her many manifestations: a pine tree, wild grass, a blue heron, or the ocean where “tomorrow a new text will cast its alphabet ashore.”
Xánath Caraza, Donde la luz es violeta / Where the Light is Violet
I am struck with images set in scenes of recall— seersucker, trucks spraying DDT, a box of Christmas lights in the attic— all memories “from childhood’s ‘safe’ harbor.” I am struck with the detail of clothing most of all— a circle skirt, a scoop neck blouse, ruffled swimsuit, jeans that huddle close to the waist, the swish of a taffeta dress that keeps time to music, and socks in all seasons, of course. The words of Maril Crabtree clothe us with grace as well as the danger of “familiar terrors.” Her work is a retrieval of memory in a whirl of primary colors making “something into something else.” Her words provide necessary momentum for moving in traffic like a red truck darting “here and there like a dragonfly.”
Diane Glancy, The Collector of Bodies, Concern for Syria and the Middle East
This collection begins with a poem about the ancient Incan ritual of tying the sun down at solstice, the longest night of the year, and ends with a poem on the equally ancient Mayan calendar, the Great Stone Wheel of days. In between, there are poems that soar on the wings of seagulls, poems that go fishing on Lake Hamilton, poems with bittersweet satsumas and buttery lettuce, poems that fall in love with the moon. Maril Crabtree sees the natural world and delights in it; you will, too, after reading this love and light-filled book.
- Barbara Crooker, author of Radiance, Line Dance, More, and Gold.
In Dancing with Elvis, Maril Crabtree brings us 25 lyric poems that give her readers a view of life with the perspective and insight that come from an experienced (and often sassy and sensual) poetic voice. From Elvis to Coltrane, from a dreamy Southern childhood to the gritty streets of Kansas City, she explores some of our deepest life themes. She speaks of those things we all know but struggle to understand.
--Carol Hamilton, former Poet Laureate of Oklahoma, author of Umberto Eco Lost His Gun, Peter the Great and Lexicography.
|
Of the four great elements of nature – air, earth, water, and fire - fire seems the most mutable, taking a thousand forms and shapes, spawning hundreds of legends, reaching across time and space. These true stories, meditations, and poems delve into the many lessons we can learn from the great symbol of fire and the many ways it manifests in our lives.
|
|
Stones can teach us about our sacred connections – to spirit, to self, to memory, to imagination, to ancient energies, and to deep, archetypal urges. In Sacred Stones, the sequel to Sacred Feathers, you will find an inspiring collection of true stories, poems, and meditations about how stones—from the tiniest pebble to the largest monument—have guided, healed, and transformed our lives.
|
|
Throughout history, feathers have served as spiritual symbols of sacred power for cultures as far back as ancient Egyptian, Asian or Celtic eras, as well as in many Native American and other indigenous cultures. These true stories give examples of how nature communicates through feathers in mystical but nonetheless unmistakeable ways.
|
