GATHERING LIGHT

From Bolivia to Kenya to Perú; from Kilimanjaro to suburbia to Machu Picchu, nothing and no one escapes the powerful word-sculpturing of Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda in Gathering Light: a child begging for a pen to use in school in Puca Pucara, Vincent Van Gogh making the miracle of turning a branch into a shepherd, Georgia O’Keeffe reminding us that to be able to see, like making a friend, takes time. There is so much silence in these poems, and yet every line has a voice of its own which Carolyn turns into color, song, dance, or smile. After turning the last page of this magic text, the reader feels like bringing his own aged word, naked eye, and wide-open ear and read aloud all over again this fascinating feast for the senses.
—Rei Berroa, George Mason University