What They’re Saying…
BECOMING SKY
“It’s the job of children / to reconstruct and make something / trustworthy of their parents,” writes Joe Hardy in his second breathtaking poetry collection, Becoming Sky. But doing so places undue burden on children against the natural order. This is the embattled but rewarding journey undertaken by Hardy, indeed, the same journey many of us face: to reconcile our parents’ pain and past with whatever toll they inflicted on us in neglect or unknowing. That reconciliation may well be our salvation, the gift realized in poet Mary Oliver’s “box full of darkness.” Thankfully, Hardy’s poignant childhood accounts are leavened with wit, humor, and a starry wisdom spinning out beyond one family’s failings and into the wondrous human space we occupy, spectacularly and ultimately healing to body and spirit. Above all, this fine work brings the gift of mercy to ourselves and to those who shaped us into “an exhalation of light.”
—Linda Parsons, author of Candescent and Valediction
Joseph Hardy’s Becoming Sky reads like a beautiful map through a familiar wilderness. At the center are the scars we earn and the scars we inherit, intergenerational sorrow that may fade but refuses to leave regardless of time and distance. This is most embodied in poems about the author’s mother. She lingers with me—along with these poems and Hardy’s assuring voice—long after reading.
—Denton Loving, author of Crimes Against Birds, and forthcoming Tamp.
“Joseph Hardy's poems move (and move us) with clarity, detail, and striking metaphor. His poems remind us "...how hard it is to find our true shapes," and that "we are malleable and concealed, and the light/ within us feels like it comes from someplace else." There's a strong, consistent tone, personal, yet in service of other voices, respecting memory enough to honor those others without easy nostalgia or falsification. The goal of Hardy's poems seems to be the cultivation of "an odd tenderness/ toward ourselves, an unfounded trust/ in our imperfect knowing."
—Max Garland, author of Into the Good World Again.
“In his collection Becoming Sky, Joe Hardy asks us to “Think of how hard it is to find our true shapes: how we need others and their needs become our own….” We see the poet reach back, first to other children in need and then to his child self, always watching and wondering the whys and hows of the world. We see him learn how humans become “malleable and concealed,” but also how we can realize, recognize, and forgive. In this beautifully lyric narration of recognition, using his experience with others as a vehicle, most particularly his mother, Hardy employs “pick and shovel” to give witness to the holiness of our oftentimes hidden light and the wholeness of our destiny as stardust. A lovely and poignant collection from a gifted poet.”
—Darnell Arnoult, author of Galaxie Wagon, and forthcoming Incantations.
THE ONLY LIGHT COMING IN
“It’s the job of children / to reconstruct and make something / trustworthy of their parents,” writes Joe Hardy in his second breathtaking poetry collection, Becoming Sky. But doing so places undue burden on children against the natural order. This is the embattled but rewarding journey undertaken by Hardy, indeed, the same journey many of us face: to reconcile our parents’ pain and past with whatever toll they inflicted on us in neglect or unknowing. That reconciliation may well be our salvation, the gift realized in poet Mary Oliver’s “box full of darkness.” Thankfully, Hardy’s poignant childhood accounts are leavened with wit, humor, and a starry wisdom spinning out beyond one family’s failings and into the wondrous human space we occupy, spectacularly and ultimately healing to body and spirit. Above all, this fine work brings the gift of mercy to ourselves and to those who shaped us into “an exhalation of light.”
—Linda Parsons, author of Candescent and Valediction
“Page turner, The Only Light Coming In, will make you both smile and reflect. This collection of poems has some unforgettable lines. The last line of "Two Stop Lights, One Diner" reads “Her feet must be killing her,” came as an unexpected twist and shows a great empathy by the author. The opening line of "Once Love, In An Italian Restaurant," reads “At a table for two, Love threw hot escargot at me,” and so makes it an impossibility not to be immediately drawn in. While "I’m thinking of going bland" may be a poetic device, it is not easily forgotten. A seamlessly flowing and intriguing debut collection by Joseph Hardy.”
—Kay Thompson Fields, journalist
“I come to poetry for arresting imagery and for phrases that make me grin or that stop me in my tracks. I come to poetry to sit with a familiar feeling like an old friend, and to leave with a fresh thought like a new companion. I come to poetry wanting stories I can follow and that transport me back to stories of my own. I come to poetry hoping to feel the wonder of "Hmmm, I hadn't thought of it like that before," and to feel the envy of "Damn, I wish I had thought of that!" This collection of poems by Joseph Hardy possesses an abundance of all these elements. And as happens to me when I enjoy the gifts offered in generous poetry, I left this book feeling blessed and grateful.”
—Ramon Presson, author of When Will My Life Not Suck?, The Roles of a Lifetime, I'm Not (Totally) Making This Up, and Voice Lessons
“It may sometimes be too early, but it’s never too late, to come of age. In wise lyrics and compelling narratives, Joe Hardy’s The Only Light Coming In gives us hypnotic eloquence mixed with intricate truth. Logic isn’t good enough—“beating a drum with no hand / as logic tries to do”—but the art of waiting, of honesty’s eventuality, is praised. Hardy’s poems remind us constantly that we’re “full of waiting;” they are quirkily meditative, populated with dreams both real and imagined. The poet tells us “I should go to bed and dream, / catch whatever comes into me, / up from me, // acknowledge / I am a stranger to myself / in this place.” In poems accessible but rich in music and implication, Hardy desires to capture what can be held of what’s most slippery. Hardy’s is an expansive, profound debut full of one man’s quest to be both broken and fiercely alive.”
—Gary McDowell, author of Aflame (White Pine Press, 2020)
At the Reading of the Will
“I’m honestly struggling to find the words to show my awe and gratitude for the book I received this weekend. All I can think was, “what a beautiful gift”. What a beautiful gift and talent you both have…What a beautiful gift this will make to the person who really needs it…”
“For the first time reading this book in published cover, I cried as I got to the end. Thank you. What a talented poet you are - and you also know how to gather together other talented artists to create beauty, joy, and solace.”
“I really read this with so much. The book helps me with your words and artwork. I personally have learned to say goodbye to some of my unpleasant memories. Picturing me in water with whales, stars, moon, and a wink of happiness. Grateful for you, Joe. We are the boy on the raft together through it all.”
“Just wanted to share with you how moving your new book made me feel. I truly became lost in the story and illustrations. Then something weird happened to me…..a flood of emotion.
When I read your words, “written from a feeling of grief”, I placed your words and illustrations in context to my grief and/or loss. Your words and visions gave me feelings of freedom, adventure, absolute bliss, tranquility, comfort, companionship, natural alignment, joyfulness.
Today, I am faced with my most cherished loved ones facing illness and bodies and minds changing every day. Thank you for your words and images. I will be picking up your book to transform my mind, body and soul to a most incredible place!”
“What a lovely, lovely written and illustrated jewel. The sentiment of the loss of oneself in trying to be what we think we are supposed to be, or what someone else wants us to be can run through a whole lifetime. This is such a beautiful view of how to feel about taking control of oneself, or at least that is how I am viewing the message. I guess the beauty of works, words, is how it can make someone feel… so this is how it has made me feel.”