The Apple Speaks: Poems

"These poems are what hymns or sermons ought to be: full of the light of radiant faces. The quality of held breath, and the clean, enveloping silence of a first snow are ever-present here. We can be grateful that a poet whose 'long seasons of listening' have specially fitted her to sing with such mindfulness is thinking this deeply about what harmony is. There's a freshness to Lachman's reverence, a respect and an ethics, a tuneful humility that's never received or rote but always newly wrought. This is just as I imagine God, if she exists, would want any written offering. If, as Lachman writes, "music is God breathing," then these poems come to us on waves of holy exhalation." --Amy Gerstler. "Lachman reflects on a heritage that inspires but also restrains. From within that struggle, in language of striking clarity and subtlety, Lachman witnesses a world generous with both pain and redemption, music and despair. These are poems born of a rigorous heart and a questioning mind." --Mark Wunderlich, Author, Voluntary Servitude. "Through her art and authenticity, Lachman engages even the most reluctant readers as they enter new worlds under her astute guidance. From service with Swiss Mennonites to an observant private lyricism, Lachman offers rare insights. She can make an apple speak and she can inspire us to listen." --Susan Kinsolving, Poet, The White Eyelash; Dailies & Rushes; Among Flowers. Becca J. R. Lachman teaches writing at Ohio University, from which she received her M.A. in English. She holds B.A.s in music composition and creative writing from Otterbein College and an M.F.A. from the Bennington College Writing Seminars. Her 2004 chapbook "Songs from the Springhouse" won the national Florence Kahn Memorial Award.