This volume brings together new work along with poems gathered from nine previous collections. When Linda Pastan's first book was published in 1971, the Jerusalem Post wrote, she "in large measure fulfilled Emerson's dream the revelation of the miraculous in the common.' " Since then Pastan has continued to explore the complexities, passion, and dangers under the surfaces of ordinary life. "Some critics point to Emily Dickinson when citing Pastan's lapidary style and metaphysical wit, a comparison that does justice to either poet when Pastan is at her best." Gettysburg Review "Pastan's unfailing mastery of her medium holds the darkness firmly in check." New York Times Book Review National Book Award finalist Linda Pastan was Poet Laureate of Maryland from 1991 to 1993."

"A moving and incandescent volume from a poet celebrated for her 'unfailing mastery of her medium' (New York Times Book Review). In poems of graceful lyricism and penetrating observation, award-winning poet Linda Pastan sheds new light on the complexities of ordinary life and the rising tide of mortality. Drawing from Pastan's five most recent volumes-including The Last Uncle (2002), Traveling Light (2011), and Insomnia (2015)-and with over thirty new poems, Almost an Elegy reflects on beauty, old age, and the probability of loss. Whether in a lush evocation of an impressionist painting or a wry and wistful ode to a car key, Pastan finds lucid meaning in the passage of time"--

"Reflecting on her long and celebrated career in poetry, Linda Pastan was struck by the number of dogs that have appeared in her poems, whether as the primary subject or in the briefest of allusions. Dogs run through these poems, so to speak. The poems span the lighthearted to the serious, from the antics of training a recalcitrant dog to the grief at a beloved dog's death. With warmth, dignity, and quiet power, Pastan explores the many roles of these devoted animals, from household pet to Argos, Pluto, and the Dog Star. ENVOI We're signing up for heartbreak, We know one day we'll rue it. But oh the way our life lights up The years a dog runs through it"--

Presents a collection of poems that focus on the themes of aging, loss, and death.

Imperfect Paradise , published in 1988, is Linda Pastan's 4th collection and was a nominee for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Poems deal with birds, the past, children, beauty, rituals, myths, the moon, vacations, aging, death, family life, and hope.

"Linda Pastan writes, "the art that mattered / was the life led fully / stanza by swollen stanza." That life is portrayed here, from the poet's earliest childhood memories to the surprises that come with age"--

"It is above all her integrity that has made Linda Pastan such a rewarding poet. Nothing is here for effect. There is no self-pity, but in this new book she has reached down to a deeper layer and is letting the darkness in." —May Sarton