James P. Lenfestey

“Part travelogue, part literary history, and part spiritual journey . . . His quest to find Han Shan’s cave is a delight from beginning to end.”—Chase Twichell, author of Horses Where the Answers Should Have Been In this transformative book, award-winning poet and essayist James Lenfestey makes an epic journey across the world to find the Cold Mountain Cave, a location long believed to exist only in myths and the ancient home of his idol, Han Shan, author of the Cold Mountain poems. Lenfestey’s voyage takes him from the Midwestern United States to Tokyo to a road trip across the expanse of China with frequent excursions to the country’s rich historical and cultural landmarks. As he makes his way to the cave, Lenfestey learns more than history or geography; he discovers his identity as a writer and a poet. Interspersed with poems by both the author and Han Shan, Seeking the Cave will appeal to lovers of poetry and travel narrative alike. “A lively account of Lenfestey’s trip to China . . . It unites our brief literary life with the ancient richness of Chinese culture.”—Robert Bly, New York Times bestselling author “A profound, and profoundly personal book. It’s very captivating, warm and friendly, personal, unguarded, idiosyncratic, pointed but also finally apolitical, and eminently charming.”—Gary Snyder, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet “His lighthearted approach, poet’s attention to detail and genuine passion for the poems of Han-shan bring the narrative far beyond essential archetypes of the Far East.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune “[A] poetry-infused memoir . . . The story of his outer and inner journeys is frank, charming, funny, moving and wise.”—Greenfield Recorder

A Pilgrimage to Cold Mountain

Seeking the Cave

Kyle Miller

Henry Thoreau

John Barr

Rachel Cline

Mackinac Arts Council

Kevin Barton

Chloe Herscher

Jeffry Riordan Hinich

Pete Olson

Tammy Rose

Corinne H. Smith

Glen Young

Philip Rice

Selected Writings of Henry David Thoreau with Poetry and Prose from Mackinac Island

Thoreau at Mackinac

“These tender, sly, plainspoken poems are a profound (and sexy) hymn to a long marriage.” —Chase Twichell, author of Things As It Is Writing love poems fifty years into a marriage is no easy task: “If he exaggerates his love, she’ll know . . . And if his desire for her is undiminished, / who would believe?” But in A Marriage Book, James P. Lenfestey meets his own challenge with aplomb. These poems drop readers into the rich, textured world of one couple’s enduring intimacy, from the warmth of a bedroom occupied by two to squabbles over miscommunications and crumbs in the kitchen. As the marriage (and the poems) transition into parenthood, Lenfestey illuminates the equally stalwart wonder of observing one’s children as they age and develop. Paternal love persists, and is even fed by, watching his children argue, suffer their own mistakes, and roar horrible breath at breakfast. A Marriage Book is a collection that essences the magic from the household quotidian, creating a technicolor portrait of a durable, long-lasting love and a vibrant, dynamic family. “James Lenfestey, after a lifetime of attentive writing, has lately done poems for family and marriage that put most of us to shame.” —Gary Snyder, TheNew York Times Book Review

50 Years of Poems from a Marriage

A Marriage Book

James P. Lenfestey

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