A Glint of Light

In this stunning debut collection, A Glint of Light, Fredric Hildebrand celebrates--with sadness, praise, and astute observations-nature, the seasons, and people among us. In short luminous poems, he reveals the extraordinary aspects of ordinary things.

A native of Neenah, Wisconsin, Hildebrand weaves this rural setting into his work, paying tribute to such poets as Tom Hennen and Ted Kooser. "At the Polling Place" praises a small-town community. With powerful imagery, love of nature runs through "The Sound of Spring," "Above the Flambeau River," "Prairie Morning," and others. "On the Way to the Mayo Clinic," "Autumn Frost," and "A Funeral" explore the difficult themes of grief and loss, but in "How Many Mornings," "Psalm," and "Geese in April," Hildebrand finds grace and gratitude in the blessing of ordinary days.

In the tradition of Emily Dickinson and William Carlos Williams, the language in A Glint of Light is spare and accessible. The collection opens with "At the Ojibwa All-Night Diner," which won honorable mention for the 2017 Mill Prize for Poetry. The final poem is "The Forest Trail," first published in ArtAscent. Poems in this collection have also appeared in Bramble, Millwork, The Raven Review, Right-Hand Pointing, and Verse-Virtual. This volume is Hildebrand's overdue introduction to a national audience.