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A Mind of Winter: Poems for a Snowy Season
A beautiful gift book celebrating winter in all its guises
A Mind of Winter collects some thirty of the most moving poems on the experience of winter. Illustrated throughout with elegant period woodcuts, the poems range from the most traditional and formal ( James Russell Lowell’s “The First Snow Fall” and John Greenleaf Whittier’s “Snow-Bound”) to the more contemporary and diverse (Rafael Campo’s “Begging for Change in Winter” and Gertrude Schnackenberg’s “The Paperweight”). Each poem has a special gift to offer readers on a frosty night.
Other contributors Wallace Stevens (“A Mind of Winter” is taken from his poem “The Snow Man”), Rosanna Warren, Emily Dickinson, Richard Wilbur, Angelina Weld Grimké, Amy Lowell, Charles Simic, Peter Davison, Mary Oliver, Sylvia Plath, Marge Piercy, James Merrill, Maxine Kumin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Anne Sexton, Anne Bradstreet, and Jay Wright.
Acclaimed poet Donald Hall contributes a celebratory introduction; he lives in New Hampshire. Robert Atwan is the editor of the Best American Essays series.
A Mind of Winter collects some thirty of the most moving poems on the experience of winter. Illustrated throughout with elegant period woodcuts, the poems range from the most traditional and formal ( James Russell Lowell’s “The First Snow Fall” and John Greenleaf Whittier’s “Snow-Bound”) to the more contemporary and diverse (Rafael Campo’s “Begging for Change in Winter” and Gertrude Schnackenberg’s “The Paperweight”). Each poem has a special gift to offer readers on a frosty night.
Other contributors Wallace Stevens (“A Mind of Winter” is taken from his poem “The Snow Man”), Rosanna Warren, Emily Dickinson, Richard Wilbur, Angelina Weld Grimké, Amy Lowell, Charles Simic, Peter Davison, Mary Oliver, Sylvia Plath, Marge Piercy, James Merrill, Maxine Kumin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Anne Sexton, Anne Bradstreet, and Jay Wright.
Acclaimed poet Donald Hall contributes a celebratory introduction; he lives in New Hampshire. Robert Atwan is the editor of the Best American Essays series.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Robert Atwan
250 books25 followersRobert Atwan has been the series editor of The Best American Essays since its inception in 1986. He has edited numerous literary anthologies and written essays and reviews for periodicals nationwide.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 30, 2021
Although autumn is my favorite season, this volume reminded me how much I love winter. I love the winter of silent snows, and frozen landscapes. Many of the poets in this small collection are New Englanders or lived in New England. The poets include quite a few women, and out of 26 poets, only include three from diverse backgrounds. Published in 2002, I imagine a collection put together now would find there are plenty of poets from many backgrounds who write about winter.
The collection is enhanced by beautiful illustrations by Thomas Nason. While they represent idealized New England settings, as a homesick New Englander, I found them very evocative.
The collection has intentionally not included well known poems. My favorite was "Boy at the Window" by Richard Wilbur, about a boy who cries seeing a snowman outside, all alone, in a blizzard.
While some readers might prefer reading about warm climates and seasons during the cold months, I found this collection a perfect winter companion.
The collection is enhanced by beautiful illustrations by Thomas Nason. While they represent idealized New England settings, as a homesick New Englander, I found them very evocative.
The collection has intentionally not included well known poems. My favorite was "Boy at the Window" by Richard Wilbur, about a boy who cries seeing a snowman outside, all alone, in a blizzard.
While some readers might prefer reading about warm climates and seasons during the cold months, I found this collection a perfect winter companion.
January 27, 2022
My favorite part of this book was actually the beautiful woodcut illustrations. Most of the poems weren't memorable to me, though there was nothing wrong with them.
One notable exception is a new-to-me Robert Frost poem, which I fell in love with: The Wood Pile. (Poetry Foundation link)
One notable exception is a new-to-me Robert Frost poem, which I fell in love with: The Wood Pile. (Poetry Foundation link)
March 13, 2016
I've been hoping to find this book for some time now. As luck would have it, I discovered a copy on a March day as Winter is giving way to Spring. It is an elegant small collection of winter poems by classic and contemporary poets with some simple lovely woodcuts mixed in. I love Maxine Kumin's "Notes on a Blizzard" (p.45) for its marvelous freshly worded descriptions; the wild turkeys with their "henna feet", deer stripping bark from a birch tree "the way you might string celery." The Sylvia Plath poem, "Wintering" (p. 54), brings us "the yet unbroken blue egg of spring". Beloved poet Mary Oliver appears twice with "Foxes in Winter" (p.33) and the powerful "Crows" (p.59). I also appreciate the sudden turn at the end of Jane Kenyon's Walking Alone in Late Winter" (p.51).
January 8, 2018
A winter’s delight of a beautifully produced book, including a rich selection of classics and recent poems, some of them dark, from a myriad of writers. It led me to investigate a few of them. Donald Hall’s introduction is wonderful, and biographical notes appear at the end. The pages are littered with charming winter scene woodcuts as well.
January 19, 2022
A lovely collection to cozy up to in winter. I revisited some favorites, and discovered some new, especially appreciating the short bios on each poet at the back of the book.
January 25, 2021
Wide range of poets are included in this delightful winter poetry anthology. The depth of the reading experience of poetry cannot be measured by number of pages because one is caused to linger on the imagery in one’s own imagination. A true delight of the volume is the pen and ink scattered throughout the pages. I wanted to enlarge them and decorate my winter walls. A precious volume of oral and visual art to help one appreciate the cold season, especially during pandemic isolation.
December 26, 2017
A Mind of Winter is a beautiful collection of some thirty poems ‘for a snowy season.’ From classics like Whittier’s Snow Bound to more contemporary poems like Kumin’s Notes on a Blizzard, this gem of a book reminds us that winter is the year’s pause. I enjoyed taking a pause in my daily activities to walk through these poems of the snowy season.
March 10, 2021
A lovely little collection to dip into during the bleakness of January and February. I read the last couple just as the thaw hit. Winter is often the dreariest season, and it feels like the least poetic, but the variety in here was nice, everything from describing winter's wan sunlight to the coziness of being stuck home in a snowstorm.
March 7, 2022
Loved paying homage to the purity of the season - winter is so medicinal for my soul. I'm never a fan of striking poetry that contrasts doomed marriages or substantial loss, though. It's a buzz kill to me. I'm more of a fluffy, diamond-dust kind of wintry gal. That's my only gripe.
January 19, 2024
My favorite part of this book were the woodcut illustrations by renowned American engraver Thomas Nason. A good short book to read one evening in the winter. Did not enjoy some of the poems, but loved two Robert Frost poems (The Woodpile, and Good Hours), and one by Mary Oliver (Foxes in Winter).
November 22, 2021
Wonderfully selected poems that give you a nice taste of winter.
December 25, 2022
Each poem here has a bleak tone, an oppressive quality. There’s dread in winter for all its beauty and that is well expressed in this collection.
March 9, 2024
Lovely collection of poems, perfect for a cuddly snowy wintry day.
November 16, 2012
A delightful little collection of wintery, snowy poems by some of the best and favorites: Robert Frost, Mary Oliver, Sylvia Plath, Richard Wilbur... among others... I actually ordered the book for its beautiful little snowy engravings by a favorite New England artist, Thomas Nason, whose lovely hand-built home I was lucky enough to visit in Old Lyme CT many years ago. I love his work, and his illustrations meld beautifully with the cold, white, crystalline imagery of these poems about winter.
March 17, 2014
I'm not a fan of anthologies--I tend to like to read through one person's work rather than see it out of context. That being said, this book has some great poems and I loved the illustrations. Frankly, I don't think the illustrator (Thomas Nason) is given nearly enough credit. At the very least they could have given his name on the cover or on the title page (even if he passed away in 1971). A good gift book or a bedside companion for a guest room.
October 17, 2015
This collection of poems from so many gifted poets, is a book I read each winter. I actually leave it out, on my side table, and appreciate this cold, snowy season with each inspiring word. Snow is beautiful. So buy it, and some snowy night, when you are sipping your hot tea, turn your Christmas tree lights on, and open this book, and savor the season and its gifts.
December 25, 2014
Any book that begins with Wallace Stevens should be good. And the intent and design of the book are gorgeous. BUT the collection lacks focus. Longfellow, Dickinson, Bradstreet, and Emerson just don't sandwich well between Plath, Sexton, and Wright.
January 12, 2012
I usually prefer a book by one poet, but this is a very well-chosen, short and lovely anthology. Some heavy hitters and a few poets new to me.
December 22, 2014
Favorite poets I'd never heard of until this book:
Richard Wilbur - Amy Lowell - Robert Peck - Mary Oliver
Richard Wilbur - Amy Lowell - Robert Peck - Mary Oliver
December 24, 2016
Closer to a 3 1/2 and the wood engravings are beautiful.
January 3, 2017
The poems are brimming with snow, as their speakers meditate on loss and death. Swarming with thick white air, this anthology says, "look out at the bleak land from an icy window."
February 1, 2017
This is my kind of hygge, perfect for reading on snowy, blustery days.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews