Servitude

is saying-and to see that he practices what he preaches-simply read His First, Best Country. Lorraine Corsale, a photographer trained at Pratt Institute, worked as a volunteer for the Christian Appalachian Project in Lancaster, Kentucky, and this new book is her stark record of the experience . Corsale's black and white photographs depict mostly the fringes of Appalachia , rural life in Kentucky's Garrard County, and the presentation is as elegantly simple as the pictures. These are not always "pretty" pictures. They are stark, understated depictions by an excellent photographer. -Garry Barker Quillen, Rita. October Dusk. Seven Buffaloes Press, Box 249, Big Timber, Montana, 59011. 1987. $5.00. Five dollars is a pittance to pay for this small (thirty-four page) but top-quality collection of poems. Every piece contains some breathtaking imagery, some bit of"oh, wow, that's right! " The three section headings, "Farm," "Friends," and "Family," indicate exactly the kind of subject matter in which Quillen excels. What is most exciting about the poems is that instead of surrendering to sentimentalism , a real temptation with this type of material, the writer retains toughness of character and objectivity of insight. In addition, there is metaphorical truthfulness that is extremely rare in what with mere versifiers would come out as folksy chatter. Examplesofexcellence abound. "Apple Butter, for instance, is not only a record ofapassing tradition but a liturgical statement . The motif of religious ceremony runs through the poem, bringing to mind rituals from purification to communion. Otherpoems exhibit the same high quality . "October Dusk," the title poem ofthe collection, for instance, contains the line "I am a candle flame drawing moths and mosquitoes, holding the moments in my cupped hands." "Time to Go" includes such gemsas"Theoldwoman spitsamber starsm thedust" and"She's thinkingwhat ahardtimetheywillallhaveandcongratulates herself for living just long enough." There are a few weaker lines and moments , ofcourse, times when Quillen slips into apparent stereotypes or passages that contain more narrative and more information than the reader needs. Once in a long while, also, Quillen's exciting freshness is lost in the echo of other fine Appalachian writers whom Quillen has known and admired. RobertFrostdescribedapoetas aperson who sees double. Rita Quillen, in her masterful metaphors and in her compassionate communication of the real meaning of human existence, is indeed a poet. While anticipating Quillen's nextpublication , many readers will go back again and again torelive and enjoy "October Dusk." -Barbara Smith Servitude Despite beatings from Mother Nature, from passing souls, those porchsteps still squat there. Despite rainstorms and heavyweights digging them an early grave, They've never sunk so low they won't stoop to help a body on its way. -Glenn McKee 67 ...