Gentle Grasp boils with times past and passing time, as the opening poem counts, courts, and catalogs the many kinds of seconds that make up a life: "heavy second / fading second / Fighting to corral / to herd a second." The poems that follow recount moments of life with sensitivity, grace, and humor.In the titular poem, "Gentle Grasp," the beauty of a hanging raindrop is described in exquisite detail until it breaks from the bud, first "relinquishing, plummeting," but then, thrillingly, "skydiving to the ground." Every poem in the collection is beautiful and courageous, skydiving where others simply fall.-Maggie Queeney, author of In Kind, winner of the 2022 Iowa Poetry PrizeLaura Daniels takes us by the hand and invites us on a tender journey through time in her collection Gentle Grasp. The opening poem reminds us to pay attention to each second, and then she shows us how through poems rich with evocative images. Daniels travels back to the Jersey of her youth, into memories of beloved family traditions-beach days, Sunday dinners, firefly-filled evenings, and more-that build and evolve, even come to an end, as she grows older. Though the journey includes pain and loss, including depression, death, and illness, Daniels always centers us with joy and gratitude.-Ann E. Wallace, 2023-2024 Poet Laureate of Jersey City and author of Days of Grace and Silence: A Chronicle of COVID's Long Haul (Kelsay Books, 2024)Gentle Grasp is a work of passion, sharing poetic musings of childhood through family times to the present, including opportunities to revisit the past and current years, through memories and subtle reflections. From lines that highlight the simple things in life, like keeping the power on or making soup on a wintery day, to deep-themed works where Daniel's 'heal writes, ' using kintsugi and finding ways to persevere through depression and loss, these poems give hope to readers by celebrating life's milestones and pivotal moments.-Cristy Watson, award-winning middle school and YA author, published poet, co-editor of 2022 Poetry Marathon Anthology, book editor for multiple authors, and writing workshop facilitator
