I have long loved the poems of Howard Nelson, and The Need Is Great is his best collection yet. Nelson’s radically straightforward style gives him the power to explore a remarkable range of subjects—from “My Father Took Me to Professional Wrestling” to “Bald Eagle Struggling to Get Massive Fish to Nest.” There are lively tributes to dead poets, movie stars, athletes, and musicians. There are narrow escapes from death. The book includes the least sentimental, most moving poems about grandchildren I have ever read. Above all, Nelson is a portrait artist and storyteller. He may focus on a famous figure from a surprising angle, then turn to honor the grace and dignity of a waiter, a crossing guard, or an elementary school teacher. “Attention, attention must be finally paid to such a person,” cries Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman. Howard Nelson pays. The results refresh your faith in human beings.
—Bart Sutter
Reading a Howard Nelson poem feels like the best kind of woods-ramble. You start out curious and comfortable. You take some unexpected turns. You may encounter deep shade or blazing sun, water, rocks or moss, unexpected people and animals. And by the time you’re at the end, you’re a changed person. Often, his insights and language take my breath away.
—Sy Montgomery
To see Howard’s 2014 FootHills book, “All the Earthly Lovers”
