Sightlines

About the Book

A beautiful collection filled with 90 poems, 190 pages, 25 photos and tribute to a loved family.

Sightlines offers a frank portrait of a family not only coming to terms with its grief, but also celebrating its past and difficult present. Although deeply personal, these poems strike poignant and universal chords. They offer a vision of life filled with little treasures that carry us back to what is truly important in our lives.

"Village wisdom for the 21st century. Between these covers lives an enlightening friend."
-Clive Matson, author of Let the Crazy Child Write!

"Janet Riehl's poems tread that thin line between insightful nostalgia and objectivity Midwesterners are so good at."
-Hal Zina Bennett, author of Write from the Heart

"Rich and vibrant, complete with vivid language that bursts, or sneaks, into your mind."
-James BlueWolf, author of Sitting by His Bones and Grandpa Says

As the author of this book, I want to share some of the creative process behind writing Sightlines. The book evolved over a year, following a secluded retreat, in response to my sister's death in a car accident.

During this time, I came to a strong sense that the world is charged with meaning, and that is a poem. The only trick is to tease out the meaning. That is what I proceeded to do as I moved back and forth between my Midwest home to my Northern California home.

Putting together this poet's diary was a little like assembling a 1,000 piece puzzle. Mortality became keenly real to me as my parents and I aged together. The sorrow of life's fragility, and joy at its tenderness, form the sightlines of all five sections in this collection of 90 poems as I examine and share the people and places of my life.

About the Author

Following a family tragedy, Janet Grace Riehl returned to her childhood home in the Midwest. There, through her craft, she discovered a new sense of connection reuniting her, and the reader, with life. Janet Grace Riehl is an award-winning author, artist, performer, and creativity coach. Her poems, stories, and essays have been widely published in national literary magazines and the newly-released anthology Stories to Live By: Wisdom to Help You Make the Most of Every Day. Her life moves between two great bodies of water?the Mississippi River in Southwestern Illinois and Clear Lake in Northern California. You can visit her website sightlinesbook.com.