Dear Bruce: i just read your essay "Father's Day". I will be thinking "klafseeyalos" a week from Sunday. Thank you for sharing this. Rip EIU Class of '82

David Ripley
david_ripley_AT_glenbard_DoT_org
Oak Park/IL/USA

Hello
My name is Robin Boyd and I'm 13 years old. I'd just like to comment on your speaking at Heartland in Bloomington, Normal! My sister Rachel Boyd, is attending the class and invited me. I have recently became interested in poetry. I've started writing but right now I'm focusing on learning more about different types of poetry and poets. Listening to you was both entertaining and a learning experience. I look forward to reading your books!

Robin Boyd
reileenboyd_AT_msn_DoT_com

The Lost Brigade as a whole has found a permanent place in my reading list. In particular, I loved Maps. The characterization of the father, which may or may not be related to the father from Radio Days, rests next to my heart with the spirit of my own grandfather. An avid baseball fan, and veteran of the war, he maintained the same stoic reserve.

Guernsey has a talent for characterization, and framing a moment in time.

Tim Madigan
Silverrun2060_AT_yahoo_DoT_com
Chicago/Illinois/US

I read your Peripheral Vision and The Lost Brigade and found much that I admire-vivid images, insights of heart, and effective poetic techniques. Peripheral is mostly a collection of poems set outdoors that uses an economy of words and sharp-cut cadences. The theme of lostness permeates Brigade, of course, and details several situations of disorientation, but the book is arranged so that the poems specifically about the father are spread out. This mirrors the procession of a loss from grief to sadness to fond memories.

There are bare-bone, tightly written poems like "North," but also complex ones like "Smoke," a relatively short poem that weaves in the many layers of feelings that exist within a single situation. There are lyrical, touching poems, and also humorous ones that have unexpected bite, as in "Boomerang." Your precise touch is seen when you write of the span of life in "Stones," the rising up and the sinking away, and of the silence and horror watching people die in "Acoustic Shadow." Many of your nature poems present a duality of perceptions, either feeling immersed in the wonder of nature or realizing that the wilderness is someone else's home and we are not the ones in control, particularly in "The Owl."

I've only read your essays that are on this website but your eloquent voice is evident here, as well, particularly in the power and personal honesty of "The Raven's Gift." This essay broaches a few subjects that were only touched on by the poems in Peripheral and Brigade - divorce, the gift of finding love a second time, and grief. "The Vase" and "For Rain" come to mind. I would like to read more of these poems. Maybe I'll find them in January Thaw.

Mark Liebenow
muirman1_AT_sbcglobal_DoT_net
Peoria, Illinois

I just got my copies of the summer/fall 07 SPOON RIVER, all the way here in Greece, and am really overwhelmed with the poems. I read & reread "The Rape of Chrysippus"...such a range of voices in these poems, & am grateful for Ted Kooser's "Poets on Teaching"...thanks for all this!
adrianne

Adrianne Kalfopoulou
akalf_AT_hol_DoT_gr
Greece
http://www.adriannekalfopoulou.com

Your poem, The Lady and The Tramp, made me laugh out loud, I read it to everyone in our lunchroom at work.

You captured that little bit of sharing between old friends perfectly.

Marj Lee
mmlee_AT_creighton_DoT_edu
Omaha, Ne

Bruce, The Seattle Times today printed your THE LADY AND THE TRAMP and I LOVED it, so emailed it to many online buddies. The lady who writes a Times column on aging wrote back: 'PRICELESS!' And until I read your piece on the Lost Brigade I'd never heard about them. This is a beautiful site, with quality evident everywhere in both words and photography.
And, oh, btw, Bruce, what sort of dog did your Mom have?

Lorna Lou
lornalu2000_AT_yahoo_DoT_com
Seattle, Washington

Beautiful site, Bruce. Congratulations. All continues to rock along here in Ol'Virginny.

Jacket
winter_AT_gmail_DoT_com
USA
http://warmclothes.freehostia.com/sitemap.html

Bruce,

I googled your poem "Maps" to send to a friend, and was delighted not only to find it, but also to discover this delightful site, then doubly delighted to see Victoria's work (AND your lovely photo/s) as well. Wow! Better than Cracker Jacks; I don't know when I've had so many surprises in one simple click...Anyway, I hope you are both well....and, do you remember the day you came to my office asking my thoughts when "Maps" was just a draft? I do! 'Love the accompaniment of Vicki's collage. Great fun. ---- Best, Deb

Debra Valentino
davalentino_AT_eiu_DoT_edu
Charleston, IL

Powerful work, Bruce, and may I say that Victoria's jewelry is stunning... Proud to have "met" you!

Shurooq Amin
shurooqamin_AT_hotmail_DoT_com
Kuwait
www.theapetalouspoet.com

Hi Bruce,

Congratulations on becoming the editor of The Spoon River Poetry Review. I have a subscription now. I am also pleased that your book, January Thaw, has been reissued. I had you as an honors seminar professor 25 years ago when I was an 18 year old freshman at Eastern IL U. I immediately bought your book, January Thaw, when it came out at the Lincoln Book Shop in Charleston IL. I could hardly believe I was in contact with a real published poet. I was too shy to ask you to sign my book then, but after all these years, I am pleased that you have agreed to sign my first edition.

In 1982-83 you gave me the inspiration to change from a vocal music major to an English major--a move I have never regretted. I went on for a masters in English Lit. and published my masters thesis, Bastardy as a Gifted Status in Chaucer and Malory, with Edwin Mellen Press. I also published a Women in History book, Illegitimacy Empowered, with Ide House. You gave me an early hunger to want to published my work, and share it with many people. Thank you so much for your interesting class, and for all your encouragement.

Jessica Lewis Watson
jessicabulty_AT_yahoo_DoT_com
Champaign/Illinois/61821

Your poems are stunning. Simple surfaces with powerful interiors. Coupled with photographs so precise and vivid I can almost taste them, the experience of your poems is delicious. "Moss" ("all day/in a dank place/and never a cough") is a splendid poem; "Apple," too--these are tender, luminous poems that evoke Aristotle's words: "All that we do is with an eye toward something else." Your poems point me subtly and truly to Something Else. I congratulate you for such beautifully crafted, deeply felt poems, my friend from long ago whose first chapbook, "Hour of the Wolf," has remained on my bookshelf through many moves and years.

Suzanne Underwood Rhodes
capriole10_AT_yahoo_DoT_com
Virginia Beach, VA

I just received the last edition of The Spoon River Poetry Review -- and it is WONDERFUL!! I loved the Poets Teaching section that you added, Bruce ... also, I thought the cover was gorgeous. Thank you for such a beautiful journal.

M. B. McLatchey
mbmclatchey_AT_gmail_DoT_com
Winter Park, Florida
http://mbmclatchey.corvidwriters.org/

I enjoyed reading the selection of poems and essays on your website, Bruce. I admire the sensory and imaginative qualities in your poems. "Busing to Byzantium" reminded me of a similar trip I made from Thessaloniki to Mt. Athos many years ago. Also, your wife's photographs effectively complement your words. Thanks for letting me know about your website. Cheers!

John Blackard
blackaj16_AT_yahoo_DoT_com
Greensboro, NC
http://gspot-nipster.blogspot.com/

Dear Bruce, Such elegance in voice and tone. Thank you for sharing these poems. I look forward to further collaborations. Best, J. Mae Barizo

J. Mae Barizo
jmaejmae_AT_gmail_DoT_com
New York, NY

Thank You so much! Your book The Lost Brigade is excellent, I find myself lost in it often. It was a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to your new work.

Michael
s_williamsm_AT_sunyacc_DoT_edu
Queensbury, NY

Hi Bruce! I\'m so glad to see this website -- what wonderful poetry! Thank you again for turning your fantastic editorial eye to my poems -- I can\'t thank you enough, and I\'m so happy one has found its home in Spoon River!

Emma Bolden

Auburn, Alabama

Hi Bruce, I\'ve enjoyed your poems, and the great images on your site. Looking forward to future correspondence. Are you still at EIU? Luisa

Luisa Igloria
thepoetslizard_AT_gmail_DoT_com
Virginia

Thank you for your eye for the small, which is not small: the plaques on trees, fresh milk, or moss.

Angie Macri

Little Rock/AR/US

Hi Bruce: It\'s good to see that you have this website up. I miss your classes at E.I.U. Good luck with everything. Andy

Andy Tourville M.A.
atourville_AT_sjfschool_DoT_net
Chicago/IL/U.S.

Great site. Very useful and informative.

Mike
mike560_AT_yahoo_DoT_com
New York

Hey Guerns-- While spying on old friends at EIU--I mean, reading the latest issue of Agora Online--I learned of your website. Of course, I had to visit. Very classy. And to V, great work w/ the camera. Hope to see you soon...good luck over at Spoon River. Josh

Josh Sopiarz
jsopiarz_AT_yahoo_DoT_com
St. Louis, MO

A lovely mix of word and image. I especially enjoyed the poems from \"The Lost Brigade\" and a small, mysterious poem entitled \"Glove\". Stranded as I am on the Left Coast, Bruce Guernsey is a new name for me, but one that I\'ll return to with anticipation.

Lee Rossi
lerossi_AT_earthlink_DoT_net
Los Angeles, CA

Bruce, thank you so much for all your help with the poems! I\'m so happy they\'re now publishable and finding their place in Spoon River. Folks, this man has quite the eye for critiquing poetry; he saw a poem inside my words and brought it out. Thank you again! Siobhan

Siobhan Brannigan

College Park, MD

Hmm.....Guernsey, you're the only other person I've known who considers the odeur of cow manure "ambrosia." An Indiana girl, born not far from the farm, considers the smell "home." As I said on the ship, in a poem I wrote for you, bad as it was, I "think I've known you before."

Nancy Mann
Traverse City
njmann1_AT_chartermi_DoT_net

Thank you so much, Bruce, for placing your powerful, beautiful poetry and essays within reach of so many! May the word continue spreading about your work.

Vivian Teter

Vivian Teter
Virginia Wesleyan College, Norfolk, VA
vteter_AT_vwc_DoT_edu

Congratulations on your new website, and also your new position in January, 2007!!! Guernsey, the first poet to ever open my mind, my heart, to poetry.

Nancy Jones Mann
Traverse City, MI

Nancy Mann
Traverse City, MI
njmann1_AT_chartermi_DoT_net

Gorgeous website, Bruce, though I think it might officially make you a computer guy! All my best,
DSP

Dana Stangel-Plowe
New York

great poems! great photos! i look forward to reading more of your verse.

dennis camire
bioluminescing_AT_yahoo_DoT_com

Bruce, it's a wonderful site. Your poems and the photos of you and Victoria--it all makes me homesick.

john guzlowski
jzguzlowski_AT_gmail_DoT_com
USA


john

Read "Moss" today in the newspaper. Incredible! Looked you up in Google. Read "The Letter X". Now I'm hooked. Congratulations. Absolutely wonderful!

A John Glazier
ajglazier_AT_mchsi_DoT_com
Clive, Iowa, USA

Dear Poet, I was so happy to discover and to read your wonderful poetries. I love thair great simplicity, their depth, their transparency. Your language is the language of high cultered heart. You say with an extreme elegance the most difficult thinks. Warm regards Athanase Vantchev de Thracy French Poet www.athanase.org or www. poetrypoem.com/athanase

Athanase Vantchev de Thracy
avthracy_AT_hotmail_DoT_com
Paris - France

A site for sore eyes!

Joe Kennedy
xjdmk_AT_rcn_DoT_com
Lexington MA

Bruce, you are missed here at EIU, and not only because of your extensive knowledge of and unquestionable good taste in sports teams. Congrats on your new editorship. Great photos of you in rugged gear!Say hi to Victoria! Daiva

Daiva Markelis
dmmarkelis_AT_eiu_DoT_edu
Charleston, IL

Dear Bruce, Steve Rogers sent me the URL to your website, and I must say I'm impressed! Very informative, and what excellent design and pictures! Hope to see you again when you return to DC-- Miles

Miles Moore
mmoore_AT_crain_DoT_com
Washington

Hey Bruce. Great website . . . love the photos! This way I can keep better tabs on you. Looking forward to seeing you up in Maine in a couple weeks. Steve R.

Steve Rogers
derholzer_AT_aol_DoT_com
Mount Rainier, Maryland, USA

Hey Guerns, So proud of you for embracing technology. Your website looks wonderful. I've enjoyed sitting back and reabsorbing some of the poems that I already knew and discovering the new ones I did not. You look like the epitomy of the outdoorsman. How wonderful.

Angie Gallion Lovell
ang927_AT_yahoo_DoT_com
Newnan

My friend the essayist Martin Scott once wrote of Bruce Guernsey's poems: "Bruce Guernsey’s poems are the sort of gems that slip through your fingers if you don’t hold onto them right. Cold-blooded, taut little masterpieces, their 'loneliness includes [us] unawares' in an emptiness 'so much nearer home' than we had dreamed. Like Wallace Stevens’s 'The Snow Man,' Guernsey has worked in a quiet and steadfast manner to cultivate a 'mind of winter' so he can gaze uninterrupted at the 'Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.'" "Maps" is a poem that captures this "Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is," for me. My father didn't go to war, though he has always felt he should have been on one of those French beaches, had he only been about six years older. And he loves maps. Whenever I take a trip back East, I'll recieve in the mail a manilla envelope full of them, charting out routes I already know well. Pointing out to me the right exit off the Mass Pike, I know, isn't really the point of my father's compulsion to send me maps of home. The map Guernsey describes as "a metaphor for earth," the map I think almost all American men over sixty like to keep close whether it's a map of Normandy or of the lower Maine coast--that map will always seem to me the most apt metaphor I've ever read capturing the desire of such men (maybe they are all fathers) to close a certain distance that was once all too easy to open. But I don't know ... maybe it's just me.

Chris Hanlon
chanlon_AT_eiu_DoT_edu
Charleston/IL/USA

"Moss" is a jewel.

SFuller

Congrats on a beautiful site! I can't believe you of all people, people who talk at length about how computers are evil, have a website. I guess you sold your soul to the dark computer underlords. I would say that more people will know about your long affair with the Sox but you'd already managed to broadcast that everywhere. Seriously, though. Great site, have added to my faves. I'm glad that more people will have access to your great work. Love, Sara

Sara Woollen-Danner
sara_DoT_woollen-danner_AT_uc_DoT_edu
Cincinnati, OH

Bruce, you are the best hunter among poets and the best poet among hunters. Looks as if a poem I wrote long ago was meant for you, and quite a challenge to your hunting routines! Re-read my "Hunting the Unicorn" in that spirit. And happy fishing, as well! ~ Adam

adam czerniawski

utopia

Great to hear from you again, Bruce, and to visit the elegant mansion you've built in cyberspace. Enjoyed re-reading poems I already know from Peripheral Vision and January Thaw and discovering new ones in The Lost Brigade. I'm getting my "small" press revved up in hopes that your site will require a new edition of Peripheral Vision.

David Alpaugh
davidalpaugh_AT_comcast_DoT_net
Pleasant Hill, CA

It's about time you got a website, Bruce. Hopefully, this will help you reach more people. You reached me during that crazy summer of 2001 when you taught me so much about poetry and about myself while on that ship, where time stood still. I love the picture of you fishing with the bio, and I'm so glad you mentioned your love of the Sox.

Gavin Jenkins
Gavin53_AT_hotmail_DoT_com
Verona, PA, United States

Dear Bruce, If not for your picture on the homepage, I wouldn't believe it was "The" Bruce Guernsey's website. Did you know that back in my folky days I once wrote a song about you that began . . . "Got a friend who's a poet And he doesn't have e-mail And he doesn't have voice mail, or a message machine . . . Blah, blah, blah . . . . Blah, blah, (I don't remember what comes here) If you call him and he's not home . . . Ya know his phone just rings." Okay - now you see why I gave up the songwriting genre. But still - a website!?! Slogan Joe would turn over in his grave if he knew. Randi

Randi Faust
imafaust_AT_gmail_DoT_com
Houston, TX

Is that Ronnie or Donnie that has gone "nationwide" on the web? I have spun over to the Dark Side and now a rapid Yankees Fan. Go Jeter! Go 'Roid Ragers Giambi and Sheffield! Come on over, Bruce- they win games, they spend money, they have class and a stadium with real seats.

Tom Douglas
thomas_AT_thomasdouglas_DoT_com
Fairbanks, Alaska USA

Dear Mr. Guernsey, Greetings. Our firm -- Huff, Blowhard & Threaten -- has been retained as counsel to a well-known client who wishes to remain anonymous. Your website has been identified as among those containing material deemed offensive, libellous and litigation-inducing to Republicans, "Red State" households, New York Yankee management, and other decent Americans. Your recent email has been referred to us as Exhibit #1. Please be advised that we will be watching. Until further notice, John Ashcroft.

Lanny Jones
landon_DoT_jones_AT_verizon_DoT_net

Who'd a thunk it! The Luddite Lad on-line. Who knows, maybe the Sox might even win the ...wait a minute, the world really is upside down. Welcome to cyberspace. Great site!!

Philip Brady
psbrady_AT_gmail_DoT_com
Youngstown, OH

Beautiful site, Bruce. Congratulations. All continues to rock along here in Ol'Virginny. Best. A.

L. Anderson Orr
laorr1_AT_cox_DoT_net
Norfolk, Va. Usa

Good Luck and MANY BLESSINGS!

Carolyn Weiher
cw_AT_scia_DoT_net
Bushnell, FL 33513-7889

What kind of website is this? No links to the Steelers Nation? Oh, I get it. It's a work in progress. Pretty snazzy except for the Steelers omission.

John Burkoff
burkoff_AT_pitt_DoT_edu
Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Dear Bruce: Great website, but don't quit your 'day job'! ;) Rip EIU Class of ;82

David Ripley
david_ripley_AT_glenbard_DoT_org
Oak Park/IL/USA

Bruce, Your website is lovely! Victoria did a beautiful job as well with the pictures. Many blessings . . . Erin Zinzilieta- Pennington

Erin Pennington
epennington_AT_carmi_DoT_white_DoT_k12_DoT_il_DoT_us
Carmi,IL 62821

Congratulations on the new site. I hope you post many hits and it becomes all the rage. Best, Vivian

Vivian Garcia
vivian_garcia_AT_prenhall_DoT_com
Palisades Park, NJ

A Rat surrendered here A brief career of Cheer And Fraud and Fear. Of Ignominy’s due Let all addicted to Beware. The most obliging Trap Its tendency to snap Cannot resist— Temptation is the Friend Repugnantly resigned At last.

Daniel Williams
danie3c_AT_adelphia_DoT_net

*** you, Guernsey

John Balaban
tbalaban_AT_earthlink_DoT_net

Nice site. What is this world coming to when Guernsey has a website? Now I'm off to continue my work on bruceguerseyfans.com... ;^) s.

Stacia
stacialynch_AT_mac_DoT_com
Charleston, IL

Great idea!! When I catch up on my work today, I'll browse your WEBsite and make comments. You have posted a great picture. Makes me want to jump on my bicycle and come visit you.

flute snyder
fluteduo_AT_aol_DoT_com
hudson/wi/usa

Mr. Guernsey, Pretty snazzy website you got here! I especially like the colors and backgrounds you chose. Although I don't have any good essays or poems posted on my website, you can learn all about trademark and copyright law if you visit it. Take care!

Morris Turek
mturek_AT_uwalumni_DoT_com
St. Louis, MO

Dr. Guernsey- Okay, so I wanted to prove that I really did check out your website. :) It was nice reading (and in some cases rereading) your poetry. You have a style of writing that I both appreciate and admire.

Kelly
klundeiu_AT_yahoo_DoT_com
IL

Wow dad! This website is great. Where's my free books? Love you!

Meg
vegmeg_AT_yahoo_DoT_com
planet earth, life #3