The Moving Out: Collected Early Poems brings together all the poems from John Morgan’s first three books, each of which was chosen for publication in a national competition. These poems range from masterful short lyrics to longer narratives, including explorations of history, family and the arts. One ten-part poem recounts Morgan’s experiences in an Eskimo village at the tip of the Seward peninsula from which you can indeed see across to Russia. Another group of poems traces the changing seasons, month by month, from a ledge overlooking the Tanana River near his home in central Alaska. The book ends with the moving sequence Spells and Auguries, which deals with his son Ben’s near-fatal coma due to encephalitis and the long-term consequences of that illness.
"These poems are strong and full of carefully controlled feeling. They are tender and precise evocations of the moral and sensory life of man."
Annie Dillard
“John Morgan, one of our finest poets, draws on incandescent, creation-laden words to reveal the ‘authentic wilderness’ that flourishes within us and, yes, without us.”
Michael Waters
editor of Contemporary American Poetry
“Morgan demonstrates that he understands the complexity and the enormous possibilities of the free-verse line. These poems are exposed, rich with affirmation, and always genuine.”
Bruce Weigl
in Choice
“What a beautiful human endeavor Morgan’s life is, expanding our vision with colorful masterful work. Poetry that is of service.”
Grace Cavalieri
in The Washington Independent Review of Books
