In Becoming Done, Samuel Hazo sees grief from a vantage granted to few—and speaks it clearly. Here he is at the height of his powers, which have always been formidable. This book displays all the art that has gathered an audience and earned him many honors over his lifetime, including a National Book Award nomination and his role as the first Poet Laureate of Pennsylvania.
“[Hazo] finds the telling detail to pierce the heart. In these poems, we know where Hazo stands. And we stand next to him, as we always have.”
—Jim Daniels, author, The Human Engine at Dawn
“Hazo continues to write with passion, power, and emotional intelligence. His work is a long way from Becoming Done.”
—Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, author, Andalusian Hours and Holy Land
“In our fractious age…Hazo’s life and work are a bridge that allows for the unification of apparent opposites, for harmony among apparent dissonances.”
—Ryan Wilson, author, The Stranger World
“Of all Hazo’s books, this one is the most heartbreaking.… How strange it is that rather than feeling sad I am filled with a selfish, uplifting gratitude and the realization that Hazo’s loss is our gain.”
—Robert B. Hass, author, Counting Thunder