Publisher Description

Winner of the 2005 Alberta Prize. Laura Sims's exquisite debut is the work of an organic synthesizer, one practiced in the restrained art of listening. Her poems exhibit an attenuation that is akin to devotion by means of maxim and miniaturization, she sorts and stacks the products of humanness. Memes and phonemes of a haiku-like fineness are thereby invited to break the surface of the page. Those pre-hung doors of the native state the return to a native, pre-eminent state wholly immanent, wise and wooly.

Author Biography

LAURA SIMS lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where she teaches English and Creative Writing. Her poems have appeared in the journals 6 X 6, 3rd Bed, Boston Review, and 26, among others. Her chapbook, Bank Book, was published by Answer Tag Press in 2004.

Long Description

Laura Sims's exquisite debut is the work of an organic synthesizer, one practiced in the restrained art of listening. Her poems exhibit an attenuation that is akin to devotion: By means of maxim and miniaturization, she sorts and stacks the products of humanness. Memes and phonemes of a haiku-like fineness are thereby invited to break the surface of the page.

Review Quote

"Laura Sims' poetry collection Practice, Restraint is exactly what the title says it is--a practice in restraint. The restraint is not a holding back but rather a restraint in the strictest sense of poetic discipline and craft. This stunning debut collection is challenging and full of gratification for readers not afraid to trust intense lyrical poetry, brave leaps, and sparse language."--Amanda McGuire, Mid-American Review Volume XXVI, No. 2, Spring 2006

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