Plumb Line

These delicate, companionable poems are like warm blankets on cold winter nights: they are haunted by the words 'gone, ' 'memory, ' 'silence, ' yet, at the same time, they celebrate the wondrous satisfactions of the living moment, however transient. Luttrell's poems are brief, spare, barely there, yet watch them come alive in meditation's lamplight. --Jack Foley Steve Luttrell's beautifully wrought poems fall on to the page and into the eye and ear with an absolute measure of a plumb line. Luttrell beckons the reader, who's always got to try hard, to pursue the subtly accomplished depth and breadth of this moving new collection. --George Economou Steve Luttrell's Plumb Line traces, with verse, the moments that came, were spelled out, then departed, leaving a poem. I can recommend this book of love, leisure, travel, the seasons, the value of dogs, surrender to the seasons, and its pithy, wide-souled poesy. --Ed Sanders These poems are exquisitely crafted. In their concision they celebrate what draws us most keenly to the art of poetry. This is a book to be read and treasured for its lyrical grace and commitment to deeply held emotions. Steve Luttrell tailors life down to essential and luminous moments that celebrate our humanity. --Neeli Cherkovski Quiet plumb line precision here, as days and lives are measured against certainty, the sure and final end that awaits us all... --James Koller Steve Luttrell's new book, Plumb Line, is aptly named. The resonance of finding the depths in ordinary experience, foregrounding it so we see (and hear) is the art of a serious poet. Highly recommended. --David Gitin