Sightlines (Riehl)

Sightlines: A Poet's Diary
Janet Grace Riehl, 2006
iUniverse, Inc.
171 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780595374991

Summary
As the author of this book, I want to share some of the creative process behind writing Sightlines. The book evolved over a year, following a secluded retreat, in response to my sister's death in a car accident.

During this time, I came to a strong sense that the world is charged with meaning, and that is a poem. The only trick is to tease out the meaning. That is what I proceeded to do as I moved back and forth between my Midwest home to my Northern California home.

Putting together this poet's diary was a little like assembling a 1,000 piece puzzle. Mortality became keenly real to me as my parents and I aged together. The sorrow of life's fragility, and joy at its tenderness, form the sightlines of all five sections in this collection of 90 poems as I examine and share the people and places of my life.

Her more recent CD version features Janet's voice reading her poems and stories, with music provided by her 93-year-old father.