A Funeral in the Wild

How lucky we are to have A.R. Williams' refined and contemplative poems. Poems that reach well beyond his native Virginia and touch on the universal themes of memory, relationships, and place. Poems that, collectively, share the overarching theme that our lives and the natural world are always in flux. This is expertly demonstrated in the author's poem "Breath Cloud: " "a translucent cluster of cotton / eventuates / and like a ghostly daydream, / vanishes." Perpetual change means that we will all inevitably experience hardship and loss-this means that there is much to fear. Not surprisingly, Williams is discerning and does not leave his readers feeling hopeless. He also offers us poems of renewal. The author concludes by confessing that he has "nothing more pressing to do than...write to [us]" and, selfishly, I hope that remains the case for years to come. I wholeheartedly recommend this strong and stirring debut.

-Corey D. Cook, author of Junk Drawer and editor of Red Eft Review

The experience of reading A Funeral in the Wild feels like discovering a cherished photo album. A. R Williams creates a series of poised and delicate snapshots, blending family and the pieces of the natural world that mean the most to him. The result is a surprising sense of intimacy, in poems that are tender, questioning and sometimes raw. Among repeated motifs of trees and birds, we trace the roots of a childhood, a marriage and look with vulnerable hope into the future, where dragonflies helicopter above leafy limbs, ripe tomatoes clutch a child's hand at the market, and dandelion seeds are blown into the wind.

-Jen Feroze, author of The Colour of Hope

A.R. Williams' first chapbook focuses on fatherhood, relationships and personal fragilities, with a bird's-eye view over life in American towns and landscapes. In these lively, short poems, we are presented with witty descriptions-"A red-winged blackbird intonated a hymn, / before flaunting his red and yellow/ shoulder pads and jet-black suit" and a memorably poetic description of tree-bark with its "cracked and ashen armor." The imagist technique employed by Williams has a real focus on craft and economy, ensuring that these spring-loaded poems are both vivid and suggestive, with an emotional undertow, where words are chosen for resonance and not wasted.

-Matthew M. C. Smith, author of The Keeper of Aeons and editor of Black Bough Poetry