The Fool in the Corn

"Look implores Tania Pryputniewicz's artfully orchestrated memoir in poems. Remember and re-imagine intone these stunning narratives. In lush imagery and exacting detail; with vulnerability, wit and wisdom; one woman's life unfolds. From confused communal girlhood, to questioning an unpredictable father, to wrestling with parents' divorce, to maturing as poet, wife and mother, to the heartbreaking chronicle of a dying mother's journey, the riveting thread of The Fool in the Corn, is the growing resonance of a woman's voice: tentative, tender, fierce and emboldened. In such company, the reader, fellow traveler, is inspired to bring back, without apology, all that you dare." Barbara Rockman -author of "to cleave," and "Sting and Nest"

"Tania Pryputniewicz weaves the realities of a commune-lived childhood into the complexities of adulthood, marriage, motherhood, and parental death. These poems are image-strong and grounded in nature, and reflect Tarot's The Fool - beginner, adventurer, believer - who doesn't shy from the shift necessary for personal growth. Traveling from Illinois, to California, to Iowa, and back to California, the poems highlight the mysteries of the natural world, the struggle in relationship, the sorrow in loss. There's a call to 'bring back, without apology, all that you dare.' There's a search for 'answers that can only be lived.' The poet 'lives' in these poems, exploring the 'dark harp of the human heart' without flinching, at times the leader and caretaker, at times the 'outlier in a field of corn.' These hard-earned poems invite us to 'look, ' remember, forgive, and claim the faith of The Fool just as the poet does, finding beauty in the ordinary and comfort in imagination." Sandy Coomer -author of The Broken Places

"The Fool in the Corn wows me with its exquisite detail: these poems help us hear the snow melt and sense the musky aftertaste of goat milk ice cream. In this memoir-in-poems, Tania Pryputniewicz explores family relationships, moving from her own childhood in a commune through her parents' divorce to her own marriage, parenting, and loss of her mother. She has woven corn fields and autobiography with tarot cards and mythology, and the results are riveting. 'This life I've earned and shaped reopens with every page I risk writing, ' Tania says in her author's note. The rest of us are so fortunate that she keeps taking the risk." Katie Manning -author of Tasty Other and 28,065 Nights