Review of Interbeing by Robert Ambrose Jr.

Hello friends, Athens poet and my good friend Robert Ambrose Jr. has written a wonderful review of my forthcoming book, Interbeing. The book in hardback, paperback, and ebook editions will be published this spring by Resource Publications, an imprint of Wipf & Stock Publishers in Eugene, Oregon. It will be available for purchase here on my page, as well as through Amazon and other online sellers.

This is my fourth book of poetry and includes selected work from my previous collections. I look forward to scheduling readings and appearances in the Athens area when the current covid-19 situation allows. Until then, please visit my other pages here at eugenebianchi.com and I appreciate your interest in my work. Thanks, Gene.

Robert’s review:

In the pages of Interbeing, Gene Bianchi continues his spiritual exploration of aging through the medium of poetry. This collection is a mellow saga informed by a life of scholarship and an ever-increasing sensitivity to nature and her rhythms. His poems are inspired by mystics and wisdom writers as well as his beloved cats Max and Tony and a slowly dying cherry tree.

But this set of poems is not just contemplative. Worldly concerns are evident, especially in the third section on Eco-Spirituality. Gene asks, “will we find the courage / to work against the greenhouse end, / and become the caring ancestors / in the memory of generations to come?”

Step into his world. Despite “stiff joints and deeper fatigue” and the “suffering of sentient beings,” Gene invites us to “greet the day / on our screened porch enveloped in birdsong, / with the smell of fresh coffee bringing hope … healing our moments even in decline.”

— Robert Ambrose, Jr., Journey to Embarkation