Sightsinger

A rich, almost edible feast of imagery and whimsically crafted linguistic scherzos. Poetry ineffable as music itself.

—Michael Delos, Classical vocalist, Educator

God-dance is riddance to bodies. It’s man / who needs without end — dominion, / monument, and a name / to give a damn. / It’s Adam.” Muriel Nelson’s latest collection, Sightsinger, is an orrery of marvels to light our way through deep night, animated by mischievous wordplay and exquisite riffs on much of what’s holy and un-.
—Beth Spencer, author of The Cloud Museum

What is most remarkable about Muriel Nelson’s poems is their pure lyricism. These poems sing from start to finish. If a poet’s main task is to figure out in the writing what is to be revealed and what is to be withheld, Muriel has mastered that task by knowing when to pull the reins in, and when to let them go. We are grounded just enough not to be lost, poem-to-poem, in this often dry-humored, plainly spoken yet compellingly complicated (meaning, layered and dynamic) book.
—Martha Rhodes, publisher of Four Way Books, author of The Thin Wall

Muriel Nelson’s new collection, Sightsinger, brims with playful energy, wit, rhythm and rhyme, while opening to moments of wonder and profound wisdom. The range of these poems is spectacular, giving voice to everyone and everything from a dumpster diver to statuary; from trees to birds to lightning, angels, and saints. I want to drop through this page with such a crash/ That you hear the marvelous white/ And a little way through. This a masterful collection, a whirlwind ride on a miraculous mind.
—Helen Fremont, author of The Escape Artist and After Long Silence

Muriel Nelson lives near Seattle where she enjoys music, furry muses, and edible landscaping, and believes that salads need flowers, too. She’s sung in choirs, played chamber music, taught elementary music and college English, lobbied for education, founded a children’s clothing bank, and helped start community suppers. Her favorite city is Prague. Nominated five times for the Pushcart Prize, Nelson’s books include Part Song (Bear Star Press), Most Wanted (ByLine Press), and Please Hold (Encircle Publications). Her poems have appeared in anthologies and many journals, and two have been set to music. She holds master’s degrees from the University of Illinois School of Music and the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College.