Between Mirage and Miracle

"Barrie Shepherd's accessible poems invite belief and assent, as 'with bright and beckoning uncertainty' he explores 'the task of noticing / whatever has been there from the beginning' . . . While admitting that 'we had not known that dark could be so deep,' he is ever available to 'all the holiness that hides in daily things.' These poems extend and transcend Barrie Shepherd's revelations of reality. In their honesty, range, and clarity, they offer pleasures as well as truths."

--Daniel Hoffman, author of Brotherly Love, and Poet Laureate of the United States, 1973-1974



"If 'the Christian faith needs a fresh vocabulary and new images to recapture that initial astonishment, to express its radical, world-shattering impact,' then Between Mirage and Miracle is a good place to begin to fill that need from the seemingly endless hints of holy connections, perspectives, and even revelations . . . This one you will find to be a good friend with whom you will want to have frequent, enriching conversations."

--James Forbes, Union Theological Seminary



"Barrie Shepherd counsels us not to read these poems from beginning to end. I could not honor his advice. They are like the dark, bright blackberries that grow near his Maine island cottage--sweet, tart, and deliciously ripe. For forty years, this poet has been gathering clusters of wonder in the brambly terrain of daily life. His practiced eye helps us see in the illusion-filled and miracle-starved landscape of ordinary circumstances, extraordinary things concealed in plain sight."

--John S. Mogabgab, founding editor of Weavings Journal



"You'll laugh and you'll cry. Ours is not a poetry magazine, but when Barrie Shepherd submits his poems they often find their way into print. Theology with verve. Pictures painted in words. Pithy sayings and extended dramas. All these and more await you as you ponder page after page of this collection of poems."

--Jack Haberer, editor of The Presbyterian Outlook