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A Radiant Curve: Poems And Stories (Sun Tracks)

In this sixth collection of stories and verse, award-winning writer Luci Tapahonso finds sacredness in everyday life. Viewing a sunset in a desert sky, listening to her granddaughter recount how she spent her day, or visiting her mother after her father's passing, she finds traces of her own memories, along with echoes of the voices of her Navajo ancestors. These engaging words draw us into a workaday world that, magically but never surprisingly, has room for the Diyin Dine’é (the Holy People), Old Salt Woman, and Dawn Boy. When she describes her grandson’s First Laugh Ceremony—explaining that it was originally performed for White Shell Girl, who grew up to be Changing Woman—her account enriches us and we long to hear more. Tapahonso weaves the Navajo language into her work like she weaves “the first four rows of black yarn” into a rug she is making “for my little grandson, who inherited my father’s name: Hastiin Tsétah Naaki Bísóí.” As readers, we find that we too are surrounded by silent comfort, held lovingly in the confident hands of an accomplished writer who has a great deal to tell us about life.

Series: Sun Tracks (Book 64)

Paperback: 128 pages

Publisher: University of Arizona Press; Pap/Com edition (October 17, 2008)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0816527091

ISBN-13: 978-0816527090

Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches

Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #150,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #7 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Regional & Cultural > United States > Native American #240 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Native American

This is the second book of Luci Tapahonso's poetry that I've read, the other being The Women Are Singing. Tapahonso is a perceptive guide to Navajo life, and a strong voice for all of Native America. Navajos already have plenty of poetry in their chants and ceremonies, and Tapahonso "translates" some of that vision into the forms of contemporary poetry. She shows us the beauty and ruggedness of Navajo lands, the deep traditions of Navajo spirituality, and the struggles of Navajos for identity and survival in the modern world. The Navajos in her poetry are real people, not the cartoon figures that New Agers and others might prefer. (Here in Flagstaff, which is about 10% Navajo, we like to think we know the difference). While some of the figures in her poetry are struggling to combine Navajo traditions and the modern world, Tapahonso is not struggling, she has succeeded, in combining Navajo traditions and poetic and storytelling grace.

A riveting collection of poems and stories! I absolutely love and recommend this book! Tapahonso paints an accurate depiction of her Navajo roots.

I bought Ms. Tapahonso's book after seeing her interviewed on national news. She has been named the first Poet Laurette of the Navaho Nation so I immediately searched for her book. As I read these stories and poems I was captivated by the traditional and sacred stories she shares. I learned from her how important it is that we all share our stories with family members. The way she presents Navaho stories is beautiful and unforgettable.

Luci Tapahonso's prose/poetry flows as a stream in a desert, blending modern life with the ancient Dine' traditions in a voice authentically spiritual. The power of their culture is strong as their sacred mountains, as colorful as the turquoise sky. All the while it seems you are hearing a neighbor share stories as casually as a cup of coffee. This book was a gift literally and figuratively.

The poems are beautiful. I listened to the cd of poems that came with the book in the car, it soothes my daughter to sleep in the back seat!

Tapahonzo is a very effective poet and story teller. She walks you through the places she has been and seen, doing so with care.

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