{"product_id":"worn-open-places-craig-nielson-9781639807260","title":"Worn Open Places","description":"In \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eWorn Open Places, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eNielson reminds us that life is tenuous at best. He doesn't shy away from the erosive nature of our sufferings, not the least of which is a deep sense of our own insignificance, if not isolation, in such a vast universe. But what is left after we are worn open, he suggests, is a tendered heart, and a deeper awareness that all living things are hallowed and even more beautiful because of their impermanence. This book sings of life in all its \"churning and buzzing splendor.\" It celebrates the red-rock and talus left behind by rivers and glaciers. It welcomes the grit and the grace found in a life worn open.\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeter Anderson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eRiding the Wheel, \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eHeading Home: Field Notes, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eFirst Church of the Higher Elevations\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNielson is a poet deeply connected to place - from the red-rock cliffs and high deserts of his native Utah and the unspoiled landscapes of the American West to the rugged Andes Mountains of South America. Equally passionate about the people who have touched his life - his forefathers who wandered far in search of new beginnings, his family, and his friends - the poems in \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eWorn Open Places\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e are the work of a keen observer of both backcountry nature and human nature who relishes life with all its messiness, complexity, and mystery, and invites readers to raise a glass with him in \"a toast to all that is good.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eLynda La Rocca\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnbroken\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt Could Have Gone Another Way\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNielson, in \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eWorn Open Places, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e ventures into the Colorado mountains, the rivers of the west, the open highways of the desert, and all the many places that adventure, longing, and curiosity call us to. On these journeys we are allowed to see the world through the poet's eyes but also afforded the opportunity to feel for ourselves the familiar embrace of wonder. Woven throughout this collection, Nielson brings beauty to bear on tragedy, humor as mithridate to angst, joy to illuminate darkness, and wanderlust as elixir for loss - the balance here is delicate - the poems are raw and powerful, their architect kind and grateful.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eAaron A. Abeyta\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, winner of The American Book Award\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Craig Nielson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1639807268\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781639807260\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Kelsay Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/23\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 116\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.36lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.28d","brand":"Craig Nielson","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48436891681023,"sku":"9781639807260","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_c6847ae3-e052-4701-b897-22609e497843.jpg?v=1777158474","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/worn-open-places-craig-nielson-9781639807260","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}