Hardscrabble

Twenty-five years of Wes Hanson's nature paintings and pensive poetry adorn my Inland Northwest Land Conservancy office. His Hardscrabble: Life on the Land will join them soon. In 1997 Wes and his wife Gertie enlisted my organization to safeguard their family's land, the Carder Farm, and I have walked it many times since. This collection of thoughtful, restful, spare poetry is exactly like walking with Wes. It's a memoir, a paean to the farm, a slow walk through a wildlife haven and Wes's life. Reading the poems, I focused on nearby things like the hot fumes of the old Ford tractor and far off soaring hawks. Being in my own autumn, Wes's observation that "yellow leaves fall. . . in slow subtraction" led me gently to one of his final poems, "Last Morning."Chris DeForest is Senior Conservationist for Inland Northwest Land Conservancy.Hardscrabble: Life on the Land is a collection of lyrical, compelling poems that chronicle one man's love for and dedication to a piece of land that he has nurtured and worked on much of his life. Wes Hanson's poems, arranged by seasons, will engage readers who have ever fought to protect a beloved piece of ground, from a garden plot or woodlot to a Montana cattle ranch or redwood forest. Kentucky has Wendell Berry. Idaho has Wes Hanson.Denise Clark, Retired Librarian, North Idaho College