Some poems from Indebted to Wind by LR Berger

LR Berger’s latest book came out almost two years ago, but reading it now is still as moving and pleasurable as it was in 2021. I’ve been going back to recent titles and posting poem pages with the consideration that people like reading poems right in the post, and with hope that it may encourage them to visit the previews on issuu.com/deerbrookeditions or go to the Website and order a copy.

And there is good reason to.

L.R. Berger’s work has been supported by The National Endowment for the Arts, The PEN New England Discovery Award and The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.  She was Visiting Artist at The American Academy in Rome, and has been granted residencies at The MacDowell Colony, The Blue Mountain Center, Hedgebrook, Wellspring House and The Hermitage.  Her collection of poems, The Unexpected Aviary, received the Jane Kenyon Award for Outstanding Book of Poetry.

Here are a couple of spreads from the book.

You can click on the spreads to view large, and use command + or – to adjust the size.

The wind in these eloquent, elegant, tensile poems is present as spirit, of course; and as spirit it can manifest as the longing or fate of the body (it expires), as intellectual momentum (it inspires), and as power for social justice (it aspires). In all these modes, L.R. Berger both controls the energy as form, and honors the charge of the moment through perception by brilliant perception, breath by mortal breath.

—Stephen Tapscott, author of From the Book of Changes, and more

Upcoming events for LR Berger

L.R. has some readings coming up this fall.

One at the New England Poetry Club

One at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord NH

L.R.’s new book is Indebted to Wind which came out last year and has been reviewed in North of Oxford.

Find the book on deerbrookeditions.com

Endorsements from the back cover

The wind in these eloquent, elegant, tensile poems is present as spirit, of course; as spirit it can manifest as the longing or fate of the body (it expires), as intellectual momentum (it inspires), as power for social justice (it aspires). In all these modes, L.R. Berger both controls the energy as form, and honors the charge of the moment through perception by brilliant perception, breath by mortal breath.

—Stephen Tapscott

In this beautiful new book, words are unusually alive and active in the poet’s capable hands. A whispered finale meaning finally, a riff on up, and an exploration of the letter P : these are among the linguistic players that address both personal loss and political realities, which L. R. Berger explores with searing honesty, emotional depth, and lyric grace. No precious word is wasted here; you will read carefully and gratefully, and want to read again.

—Martha Collins

Indebted to Wind book review

Indebted to Wind has a review in North of Oxford by John Zheng

Endorsements from the back cover

The wind in these eloquent, elegant, tensile poems is present as spirit, of course; as spirit it can manifest as the longing or fate of the body (it expires), as intellectual momentum (it inspires), as power for social justice (it aspires). In all these modes, L.R. Berger both controls the energy as form, and honors the charge of the moment through perception by brilliant perception, breath by mortal breath.

—Stephen Tapscott

In this beautiful new book, words are unusually alive and active in the poet’s capable hands. A whispered finale meaning finally, a riff on up, and an exploration of the letter P : these are among the linguistic players that address both personal loss and political realities, which L. R. Berger explores with searing honesty, emotional depth, and lyric grace. No precious word is wasted here; you will read carefully and gratefully, and want to read again.

—Martha Collins

About LR Berger

L.R. Berger’s work has been supported by The National Endowment for the Arts, The PEN New England Discovery Award and The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.  She was Visiting Artist at The American Academy in Rome, and has been granted residencies at The MacDowell Colony, The Blue Mountain Center, Hedgebrook, Wellspring House and The Hermitage.  Her collection of poems, The Unexpected Aviary, received the Jane Kenyon Award for Outstanding Book of Poetry.

Bookstores and libraries respond to L.R.’s reading from Indebted to Wind

L.R. Berger has been busy ever since her new book Indebted to Wind came out last August. Here are some testimonials from readings she gave.

Belding Memorial Library was grateful to host L.R. Berger. She captivated the room at her reading, sharing anecdotes between poems and offering an intimate Q&A at the end. Her wisdom, graciousness, and humor made for a wonderful hour. We have been conspiring to get her back to Ashfield ever since!

—Sarah Hertel-Fernandez, Library Director, Belding Library, Ashfield MA.

L.R. Berger gave a poetry reading at our library to a rapt crowd. Her work is lovely, thought provoking, often funny and beautifully delivered. Program participants left asking for more programs like this one, which was music to my ears.

—Donna V. Dunlop, Library Director, Hopkinton Town Library, Hopkinton, NH

L.R. Berger has a thoughtful and resonant poetry reading style that thrums into the heart of the listener. Engaging and comfortable in front of the camera, her verse gave us one of the most chatty and responsive virtual audiences we’ve had in a long while. L.R. was also a delight to work with on the lead-up to the event, responsive to emails and quick to organize details with me.

—Elisabeth Jewell, Events Coordinator, Gibson’s Bookstore, Concord, NH

It was such a pleasure to have L.R. Berger return to our bookstore to release her latest book of poetry, Indebted to Wind. We had about 50 people in her appreciative gathering, and sold as many of her books. She is a NH poet widely sought after, and easy to work with.

—Katharine Nevins, MainStreet BookEnds owner, Warner, NH

L.R. Berger’s participation as Featured Poet on Episode 9 of the Rice Pudding Poetry Podcast was elegant from beginning to end. Sensitive to the strict parameters of time, and well-prepared for the recording itself, L.R.’s themed reading for this audio project was generously collaborative. Her theme, The Sacred in the Ordinary, allowed her to gather from her collections poems of great beauty and grace, and her voice is exquisite! Podcast listeners responded to her show with abundant pleasure and gratitude. https://ricepudding.podbean.com/

—Kimberly Green, Host of Rice Pudding Poetry Podcast, Rice Library, Kittery, ME

Art Inspires Art – Echoes and Reflections

EXPLORING THE SACRED & THE ORDINARY WITH FOUR WOMEN POETS

EXPLORING THE SACRED & THE ORDINARY WITH FOUR WOMEN POETS
Fridays May 20, 27; June 3 and 10 from 1-3:30
Instructor: Catherine O’Brian
Guest Poet: L.R. Berger

Cost: $200

In this four-week class we will explore the “Sacred and the Ordinary” with four women poets: Gwendolyn Brooks, Jane Kenyon, Lucille Clifton and Eavan Boland. I will facilitate discussions, offer writing prompts and talk about revision strategies.

Guest poet and author, L.R. Berger will join us on June 3 to share a few of her own poems, her writing process and life-long appreciation for the work of Gwendolyn Brooks.

This workshop is open to everyone. You don’t need to know how to write poems and you don’t need to know anything about the poets under discussion. Please bring a journal and pen plus your curiosity and imagination. Using the Twiggs Gallery’s art exhibits and diverse poetic styles we will generate new poems in a supportive environment.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER VIA EVENTBRITE

or call

Twiggs Gallery
603-975-0015

What Poetry Can Do: A Reading

Zoom only

Poets L. R. Berger, Peter Murphy, and Tom Schmidt will read from their original work with Q&A to follow. L.R. Berger will be reading from Indebted to Wind, Peter Murphy from Underwater, and Tom Schmidt from Like, A Metaphor. Preregister at kellogghubbard.org/poemcity.

L.R. Berger was Visiting Artist at The American  Academy in Rome.  Her collection of poems, The Unexpected Aviary, received the Jane Kenyon Award for Outstanding Book of Poetry.   Peter Murphy is the previous Dean of Academic Affairs at Goddard College and author of Maps of Three Contintents,  Tom Schmidt has published two poetry chapbooks, Enough to Drink or Drown (Kelsay Books, 2020) and Like, A Metaphor (Encircle Publications, June 2021). He received a PhD from Cambridge University and taught humanities for thirty years in California, Oregon, and Vermont.

 

L.R. Berger has another event in May

A Conversation with L.R. Berger

L.R. Berger reading at Lily Poetry Salon February 27, 2022 at 2pm

L.R. Berger reading with Kathi Aguero at Lily Poetry Salon February 27, 2022 at 2pm

Lily Poetry Salon, a Massachusetts reading series celebrating poets and literary citizenship, welcomes Kathleen Aguero and L.R. Berger reading from their latest collections via zoom. Here is their Facebook event link

L.R. Berger’s work has been supported by The National Endowment for the Arts, The PEN New England Discovery Award and The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. Her collection of poems, The Unexpected Aviary, received the Jane Kenyon Award for Outstanding Book of Poetry. Berger will read from Indebted to Wind (Deerbrook Editions)

Kathleen Aguero’s latest book is World Happiness Index. Her other collections include After That, Investigations: The Mystery of the Girl Sleuth, Daughter Of, The Real Weather, and Thirsty Day . She teaches in the Solstice low-residency M.F.A. program and in Changing Lives through Literature, an alternative sentencing program.