{"product_id":"by-chance-emily-h-axelrod-9781639802821","title":"By Chance","description":"Emily Axelrod writes genuinely profound poetry in a deceptively simple manner. Her quiet, lyrical language slyly unveils complex incident and emotion: \"from you I learned the beauty\/of a flawless downshift\/and a smooth start\/at the crest of a hill.\/and from you I learned to dread\/the coming of the cocktail hour.\" In her whimsical mode, she brings the quotidian to joyful life: children \"squander[ing] our days like penny candy,\" When she writes about her beloved sea, you can feel the waves rocking below you. And she observes all of nature with the same exactitude and affection. Emily Axelrod's poems are an abiding treasure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Alec Solomita, author of \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eHard to Be a Hero, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e (Kelsay Books, 2022), and \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eDo Not Forsake Me, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e (Finishing Line Press, 2017)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRooted in family and place-be it California, Maine, or Cambridge, Massachusetts-the poems in Emily Axelrod's collection, \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eBy Chance, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e contemplate time, mortality, and love using direct and personal language. Employing an artist's discerning eye, Axelrod draws us into a world of feeling using artifacts such as the childhood piano she practiced \"feet just reaching the pedals, \/wishing I loved to play;\" or an heirloom recipe card for \"roast chicken forever paired\/with a stormy departure\/from the dinner table.\" Though loss often looms, these poems consistently deliver pleasure. We feel seen and included in the remembrances of young love, the grappling with loneliness, and the way that, for all of us, \"the years...disappear\/one snowstorm at a time, and with each blooming of the apple tree.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Mary Beth Hines, author of \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eWinter at a Summer House, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e (Kelsay Books, 2021)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Emily H. Axelrod\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1639802827\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781639802821\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Kelsay Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/30\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 64\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.23lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.15d\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Emily H. Axelrod","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44121190465791,"sku":"9781639802821","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_16432d7b-079c-457d-8d2e-d938b9499122.jpg?v=1687418550","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/by-chance-emily-h-axelrod-9781639802821","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}