Gifts of the Seasons, Spring and Summer

Suzanne Cottrell is a student of and lover of nature, as evident in Solitary Walk, where she says, "Wonderment of woods embraces my being / releases me from worldly demands." She spends much time observing flowers, trees, birds, and whatever else is in her path, be it on the beach or a walk in the woods in search of edible mushrooms, with "a burlap bag draped over my shoulder./ Relentless foraging for a spongy, tree-like fungus." Her poet's eye for detail provides us with vivid descriptions of her world as in Sea Sparkle, "Algae, glittering malachite and / lapis, tiny sequins on an / elegant, satin, ocean gown." She can be concise when appropriate, including several verses of haiku. The reader will enjoy these lovely poems in this collection of vignettes of verdant landscapes Suzanne has witnessed in the wide world of nature and recorded for us.

Wes Sims, author of When Night Comes and Taste of Change

Just as a painter renders a lovely image with a brush, Suzanne Cottrell paints nature images with words. A meteor streaks across the sky, illuminating a mountain lake. A trout rises to a deer hair fly cast on a pool at the South Toe River. On a Caribbean beach, "Sips of blue, raspberry slushy/chill my mouth, a sapphire ice cave, /so cold it burns my throat like blue /lava flow that colors my tongue." The images delight both ear and eye and the reader will want to turn to these poems again and again.

Ray Zimmerman, naturalist, photographer, and author of Healing and Conflict

With a naturalist's attention to detail and knowledge of local plants, Suzanne's writing reveals her knack for observation, connection, and reflection, even in everyday experiences. In this collection of poems, she shares personal experiences of nature in spring and summer that her readers will find comforting in their familiarity, like letters from a friend.

Kelly Smith Trimble, author of Vegetable Gardening Wisdom: Daily Advice and Inspiration for Getting the Most from Your Vegetable Garden