Sailing by Ravens

Hughes Holly

From the moment of our first steps, our lives revolve around finding our way through the world. The paths we choose and the guides we trust can forever change our course. Mariner Holly J. Hughes has spent much of her life on the open sea, experiencing firsthand the practical and philosophical consequences of navigating through uncertain waters. In "Sailing by Ravens", she gathers the wisdom gained from life on the ocean, creating an exquisite collection of poems. In "Sailing by Ravens" Hughes draws on her more than thirty seasons working Alaska waters and weaves personal experiences and her love of the sea with the history and science of navigation. The poems explore the excitement and confusion inherent in finding one's way in love and in life. They give insight into life in the Far North and as a fisherwoman in a heavily male profession. And they show that sometimes the best directions to follow are those that come from the natural forces in our lives. Hughes deftly navigates "the wavering, certain path" of a woman's heart, leaving a trail that will inspire readers in their own journeys.

About the Author

Holly J. Hughes teaches writing at Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Washington, where she co-directs the "Convergence Writers" Series, and has spent over thirty summers working on the water in Alaska.

Reviews

"Hughes's gift to us is a poet's interior map taken from her experience as a navigator, plus extensive reading about the sea. According to Rilke, art must bear witness to a great solitude, and Hughes reveals the compass points of a searching heart plunged into a solitude whose terms are nothing less than to agree to being lost, to drift, and, as in the title, to learn to trust the instincts of birds. To accompany Hughes's reveries is to experience a venturing soul whose arrival replicates the fearful exuberance of freedom; her discovery is that without such freedom, we cannot delineate the boundaries of our inner survival maps" – Tess Gallagher, author of "Midnight Lantern: New and Selected Poems"

"In 'Sailing by Ravens' the language of navigation, horizons, and knots begins not as metaphorical flourish but from a literal, deeply realized seagoing life. Holly Hughes has found all her compass points in mapping this world with great intelligence, compassion, and meaning" – Nancy Lord, former Alaska Writer Laureate

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