A compilation of poems centered on the prairie lands of the Dakotas – inspired by the natural landscape and wildlife, the Native peoples of the region, and the spiritual depths of the Bahá’í writings. A wonderful collection of poetry giving a glimpse into the American landscape and the longings of the soul.
"These poems, originating from a high place of refined and deeply empathic spiritual vision, descend most gracefully through the dismaying strong of our present planetary predicament. Musical, prayerful, and firmly grounded in an enduring reverence for the land and the entire rainbow spectrum of humankind, Jeff Jentz’ poems bear the power to uplift and recall us to our spiritual roots. Let them nest in your heart, and sing."
- Geoffrey Oelsner, author of A Country Where All Colors Are Sacred and Alive
"Jeff Jentz’s magnum opus, rooted in the dream-loam of the North Dakota Prairie, never strays into the provincial—a constant risk for place-based writing. His steady voice and vision sweep across landscapes of dim cataract farmhouses, drifting high above desperate trailers with reservation fortitude. Bohemian airs carry the upward ache of the plains to enter a sun dance drum circle, purified by sweetgrass and sage. Long in the making, Tracing the Stormbird’s Descent is a rare event in American poetry. Let’s celebrate its arrival the way we gather, enthralled, for the appearance of the Morning Star."
- Gary David, author of Terra Zia
"Jeff Jentz’s poetry is akin to a weaving of silken threads. The language is mythic and archetypal; the forms, both visionary and narrative. Each poem is a prism which dazzles with love, drawing us toward the Friend. Whether testimony or blessing, dream or prayer, the spirit of this book is thunder calling us to climb the sacred Mountain."
- Carol Ann Russell, author ofThe Red Envelope, Feast, Silver Dollar, and Lost on Highway 61
