In Praise of Broken Ground: A Review of The Sky Is A Sky In The Sky by Stuart Ross

This is a different kind of review for me, because I've been reading Stuart Ross for as long as I've been reading Poetry in general. I've known Stuart's poetry (or let's say Oeuvre, to do justice to the diversity of work he has put out) for as long as I've been a writer. And this has for sure affected how I've experienced about each consequent project he has put out.

I've always considered reviews to be an incredibly important way of giving back to The Community, but to be honest; the more I review, the more I realize I too often review, so I can perhaps prove to certain writers, that I have "SEEN" them, the way they perhaps would have liked to be Seen. So, Stuart, if you're reading this, consider this for you. If you're reading this, I'm talking directly to you.

The Sky Is A Sky In The Sky is the most recent poetry collection by Stuart Ross; and for me, it encapsulates everything great about Stuart Ross; not only as a writer, but as the delightful comrade in artistic creation that so many of us have been touched by throughout the years.

I dont think I have to state this to anyone who knows me, but to those who don't, I'm no poetry scholar. I know very little of "Movements" and "Schools" of poetry. I'm a distant admirer whose been brought into poetry by simple (yet voracious) readership. I can't (and won't) approach The Sky Is A Sky In The Sky by any concrete measure for poetics that is often thrown out when a new book graces our shelves. I'm instead here to speak of Stuart Ross as the great literary citizen that he has consistently proven himself to be. This review is a praise for Broken Ground, and for all those who've put their 10'000 hours in early on, and have moved into flow-state where their practice has become thoroughly integrated into their living.

The Sky Is A Sky In The Sky is a book filled with witty opinions, wistful memories and playful desires. It is a book peppered with the absurdities of living, dragging itself across time. It is also, a book that takes so much delight in the poetry that it reads before it writes. It is a book, filled to the brim with pleasure from poetry and poems. I never thought it would be possible, but Stuart Ross's The Sky Is A Sky In The Sky became an even Larger celebration of poetry than any of his other books. It is a book that gathers together all of Ross's excitement at the time of writing, and so beautifully passes it down to the reader.

It is here that I say, The Sky Is A Sky In The Sky is, more than anything a reflection of Stuart Ross: The Sky Is A Sky In The Sky is as generous, charming and delightful as any interaction with Ross as a person. I dont want this review to turn into a strange case of sycophancy. I just want you to believe me when I say The Sky Is A Sky In The Sky is a book overflowing with great poems of varied styles and inspirations.

I've always admired books that can hold larger conversations with other books, or in this case, also other artistic media. Stuart Ross has written many projects with varying conceptual centres, but what I loved most about The Sky Is A Sky In The Sky was the variation of poems that, though unrelated on a surface level, held together in the larger thread of pure curiosity when faced with language.

The Sky Is A Sky In The Sky is opinionated, but so so personable. Its a book that very beautifully balances states of excitement and play, with periods of slow reflection. Its a collection that can keep you company on a hard day, and get you through it like few other books can. Its a book with a lot of charm, and a book that showcases a poetics, perfected over decades of practice and readership. The Sky Is A Sky In The Sky is a book worth having on your bedside table to read a poem or two from, every once in a while.