The Waters Under the Earth

“Siegel’s imagination is excited by the nonhuman world, and he writes about plants and animals with surprising immediacy…. A compassionate observer…he looks at them as mysterious and wonderful signs of a greater order.” -Dana Gioia, in Poetry The London Times LS described Robert Siegel’s poetry as “unpretentious versatility” like “returning to the mainland after a tour of the islands.” In this latest collection of poems, Siegel brings his remarkable range and technical mastery to bear on the mysteries of creation-wolves, slugs, moles, fireworks, mowing-all through a haunting a weave of mythical themes. Robert Siegel is the author of eight books of poetry and fiction, including In A Pig’s Eye, The Beasts & the Elders, and The Ice at the End of the World. His poetry has received a number of prizes and awards from Poetry, Prairie Schooner, Books & Culture, the Friends of Literature, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, the NEA, and elsewhere. He formerly directed the graduate creative writing program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he is professor emeritus of English. He lives near the coast of Maine with his wife, Ann.