Bruce Willard's first collection of poems, Holding Ground, was published by Four Way Books in 2013. Willard is a graduate of Middlebury College with a BA in American Literature and holds a MFA from Bennington College s Writing Seminars program. In addition to his work as a poet, Willard is a businessman/entrepreneur.
"In an affecting collection following his debut, Holding Ground, Willard recalls his responsibility for a terrible accident by saying that it "draws me like a blues harp/ soaked in whisky from which the bent yawl of reeds/ becomes the song I have to play." Like any good bluesman, he plays that song without self-pity, portraying a lost moment in town at night, the "implicated guilt" inspired by his son's teacher, the seasons running together as he "fail[s] progressively," and the effort "to try to understand/ what makes things work"--his confusion eventually surmounted by love. VERDICT Perfectly tuned language and rhythm; many readers will identify with Willard's quietly troubled thoughts and small-town settings."-- "Library Journal" (1/1/2016 12:00:00 AM)
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