Jack Ridl is the author of Broken Symmetry (Wayne State University Press, 2006), named best book of poetry for 2006 by The Society of Midland Authors, and of Losing Season, and is co-author with Peter Schakel of Approaching Literature. He is professor emeritus at Hope College, where he was named Michigan's Professor of the Year in 1996 by the Carnegie (C.A.S.E.) Foundation. More than 75 of his students are now published authors.
"Jack Ridl is a superstar in the realm of compassionate, transporting, life-changing poetry."
—Naomi Shihab Nye
"What a gift it is to have this impressive collection from Jack Ridl. Reading his poetry is like hearing from a neighbor who has lived his entire life with the most profound attention and care. And while that attention often enough reveals the blessings that surround him, and while he himself seems always ready and willing to bless the world in turn, Ridl walks a tightrope in his work. A degree one way or the other and he uncovers heaven on earth or a quiet hell. It's amazing to me how he can hold both realms so intimately together in one vision, frequently in the same poem. And he makes it all seem easy, his language moving subtly between the various modes of conversation, prayer, spiritual hunger, comedy, nostalgia, grief, and celebration. I truly hope we can evolve toward the quality of being these poems reveal."
—Li-Young Lee
"If you don't believe you have a soul, reading this book will give you one—its soulfulness is that far-reaching, generous, persuasive, and real."
—Mary Ruefle
Wayne State University Press
