'Laurie Keim's second volume, Writing on Air, has extraordinary poetic range. It is simultaneously cutting-edge and lyrical, seductive and authentic, personal and cosmic. The poems express a deep affinity with the environment. There are also poems that deal with those unexpressed and unexpected affiliations between people and lovers, while so many are imbued with the magic of epiphany in contemporary urban settings. From Learning to be Lost, a travelogue for the soul, to the haunting dynamics of Vigil, the voice is urgent but at all times assured. This volume could also be read as some type of master-class for critic and poet alike. The technical achievements cover double sonnets, odes and elegies, sestina and palindrome. Yet it is the clarity of vision and vividness of language that remains in the mind after reading.' (Publication summary)
