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BOSK

$18.95

Bosk is a meditative collection of brief, luminous poems that explore the quiet, complex lives of woody plants. With a botanist’s eye and a poet’s heart, these verses examine how close observation—often at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston—both distorts and deepens our understanding of the nonhuman world. Each poem is framed by the initials of the plant’s Latin name, inviting the reader into a layered experience where language, thought, and organic form intertwine. Written during walks and still moments—sometimes while the author’s children, Piero and Giacomo, napped nearby—Bosk reveals the strange and beautiful intimacy that can arise when we look closely at what we usually pass by.

Bosk is a meditative collection of brief, luminous poems that explore the quiet, complex lives of woody plants. With a botanist’s eye and a poet’s heart, these verses examine how close observation—often at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston—both distorts and deepens our understanding of the nonhuman world. Each poem is framed by the initials of the plant’s Latin name, inviting the reader into a layered experience where language, thought, and organic form intertwine. Written during walks and still moments—sometimes while the author’s children, Piero and Giacomo, napped nearby—Bosk reveals the strange and beautiful intimacy that can arise when we look closely at what we usually pass by.

About PATRICK BARRON

Writer and translator Patrick Barron grew up in the Pacific Northwest, moving from Great Falls, Montana to Anchorage, Alaska, and then Eugene, Oregon. He spent significant years in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Ferrara, Italy, and San Francisco, and holds degrees in English and Cultural Geography. He now lives in Boston where he teaches at the University of Massachusetts. His books include Spooring (poetry); Selected Essays and Dialogues: Adventures into the Errant Familiar, by Gianni Celati; Terrain Vague: Interstices at the Edge of the Pale; Haiku for a Season, Haiku per una stagione, by Andrea Zanzotto; The Selected Poetry and Prose of Andrea Zanzotto; and Italian Environmental Literature: An Anthology. His work has received a number of recognitions, including the Rome Prize; the National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship; the National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship; the Raiziss/de Palchi Translation Award; and a Fulbright Scholarship. 

 

  • Genre: Poetry

    ISBN: 978-1-963115-71-0

    Publication Date:  February 28, 2026