Render

Poetry. RENDER by Joseph Zaccardi is a collection of poetry that covers territory both painful and sublime. Joseph is a fine poet who has clearly mastered the craft of writing. He makes no mistakes as he guides us through the pain and then lifts us gently. In "From Baker Beach to the Golden Gate" he opens a difficult moment, provides a daring question and then lets us stay in the question and gather deep, personal answers. "Pulling / the disparate together: those who leapt, those / who walked away, and the man who wrote / in his suicide letter that he wouldn't jump / if only one person smiled at him." RENDER is like this throughout. It is satisfying to be in the throes of a poet of such quality who has such respect for his reader.