To and From

G.E. Patterson

Reviews of the book

“Description doesn’t do justice to the way that G. E. Patterson weaves snippets from other writers into his poems in To and From; you really have to read the book and see it on the page. With that in mind, we heartily recommend that you read To and From soon: it’s beautiful. Often, Patterson’s gorgeous free-verse sonnets take up only half the page. Floating above are tiny quotes that seem to be swimming in the poet’s (or maybe the poem’s) mind: ‘Bessie’s feet hurt’ from Gwendolyn Brooks hovers over “. . . [unwritten words]’ from John Milton. And don’t forget that it was Marianne Moore who said ‘. . . prone’ and e. e. cummings who said ‘. . . shall.’ Patterson makes us feel that no one else could lay claim to these words, at least not for the space of time you’re reading them. The form of the work is itself so pleasing that you’ll be doubly delighted by the poet’s compassionate, calming voice: ‘What you feel is more like soft tufts of grass/ The deer have grazed and studded with their pellets’ (‘Baby Tears’).”