The Boat-Maker's Art

Shaheen Dil's poems blossom with lush descriptions, from Kennywood, an amusement park in Pittsburgh, to Karimpur, a village in Bangladesh. Her sharp powers of observation peel away the surface layers to get to the heart of the matter, and the matter of the heart. This wide-ranging collection is not afraid to take on larger philosophical issues with honesty, humility and grace, asking questions for which there are no easy answers, like the best poems do.
Jim Daniels' recent poetry books includeThe Human Engine at Dawn, Wolfson Press, and Gun/Shy, Wayne State University Press.

Shaheen Dil writes with authenticity about what she knows well. From the waterways of Bangladesh to the mysterious engines of Wall Street, this collection traverses a vast range of topics with a unique voice that is no less vigorous than it is charming. In The Boat-maker's Art, the reader will rediscover themes and imagery from Dil's first book, Acts of Deference, revisited and enhanced by her apparently inexhaustible lyrical curiosity.
The Bulgarian poet Lyubomir Nikolov is the author of numerous books, translated into seven languages. His latest book is The Wine's Angel, (Fakel Press 2018.)

In The Boat-maker's Art, Shaheen Dil displays the whole range of poetics and of her culturally-engaged imagination. Dreamy and full of sensibility, these poems turn with the lightest of touches to reveal the wit and allusion that underpins every description. Dil is a poet who eschews the tired gestures of confessional verse to share with us a deeply-felt view of the human world itself. In her vision contemporary experience is still richly meaningful and connected through myth and religion with past and future human lives.
Fiona Sampson, MBE, FRSL, is one of the UK's leading poets and writers. Her work has been translated into 37 languages. Her honors include: the European Lyric Atlas prize, the Naim Frasheri international laureateship, and the Wales Poetry Book of the Year.

Earth, air, fire and water. Especially water. "The Boat-maker's Art" is a great poem of our language and sets the tone for the volume of that same name. Shaheen Dil's Bangladesh origins permit her a unique perspective on American life. The Boat-maker's Art is an essential book of poems and reading it is an homage to the human spirit.
Michael Wurster is the author of numerous poetry books and a founding member of the Pittsburgh Poetry Exchange. His latest book is Even Then, (University of Pittsburgh Press 2019.)