Ladder Music

“It is precisely Watson’s poetic willingness to be subverted, both emotionally and formally, that makes this collection so valuable. One finishes it with the impression of a fiery, intrepid voice turning and turning over the images and things of this world looking for hope and love, but always suspicious of both, and always suspicious of easy expression.” —Poet Lore “Ellen Watson writes ‘I can’t see but I quarry’: these new poems, like the inner and outer worlds she quarries and sees, are oftentimes strange, surprising, and wise.” —Jean Valentine “Ellen Doré Watson has the wonderful ability to translate idea, emotion and her keen view of the world into verbal energy and rich patterns of sound. Her poems bang about on the page and are a great pleasure to read.” —Stephen Dobyns