Poems for the Twenty-First Century Selected by Diane Frank A poem is a parallel universe that creates an experience line by line. The universe unfolds in a series of images which change the inner experience of the reader. If the poem goes deep enough, the writer and the reader will be changed in a significant way by the end of the poem. River of Earth and Sky: Poems for the 21st Century mixes the poetry mahatmas of our generation with the grass roots. In these pages, you will find poets who have won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, along with lesser known poets who also deserve to be read. Congratulations on this fantastic coming together of voices. -Jane Hirshfield, author of The Lives of the Heart, The Beauty, and Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry Anywhere I turn to read, masterly and compelling work. -Robert Scotellaro, author of Measuring the Distance and Rhapsody of Fallen Objects Kudos to you for putting together such an impressive collection! What a thrill to see my poem ‘Leaving Montana’ rubbing elbows with Willa Cather’s ‘Prairie Spring’! -Judith Waller Carroll, author of Walking in Early September What an honor to be published among some of the writers I’ve looked up to my whole life - Stephen Dunn, Jane Hirshfield, Kim Addonizio - wow! -Sarah McKinstry-Brown, author of Cradling Monsoons and When You Are Born Such an honor to rub shoulders in print with so many extraordinary voices. -Laurie Kuntz, author of Women at the Onsen