Jane Tyson ClementRecensioni

Jane Tyson Clements was one of the more interesting under-publicized women poets of the twentieth century. Her poems, many of which were "blank verse" with occasional rhyme, were published in magazines and collected in books, but although most of the poems were not overtly religious the books seem to have been stuck in one denominational "ghetto" or another. Clements' first book was published by Quakers and her next book by the Bruderhof, who also published "The Heart's Necessities." Most of the poems explore landscapes and nature in ways that leave room for theological interpretations, but without overtly mentioning Christianity. Clements was, literally, a pacifist first and a Christian second; she joined the Quaker congregation because they were pacifists, didn't fit into their social group, and joined a Bruderhof mission. Her social consciousness hardly fits into a denominational ghetto.

"The Heart's Necessities" is really a collaborative book, in which young musician Becca Stevens, who has set some of Clements' poems to music, and editor Veery Huleatt have patched together a biography of Clements' life in poetry to accompany Stevens' music recordings. It's not yet fully hybridized; readers still have to listen to the musical settings of the poems at a separate website. It reads as if it's being shaped in the direction of a true electronic hybrid work, as if, when it's finished, you'll be able to hear the poems sung alternately with reading them in the usual way if you read the book online. In the e-book I have, short essays about Clements' and Stevens' lives, and photos of the landscapes Clements wrote about, appear in between poems to create a fascinating overview of this important minor poet.

Beautifully written, but too predictable.½

The Heart's Necessities is a three-part book. First, it is a selected collection of poems by Jane Tyson Clement. Clement, a Smith College graduate, became a poet, playwright, and author. Although from a privileged background, she became involved in social justice and she and her husband joined the Bruderhof community. Her poetry, in this collection, centers on nature and its beauty. There is an underlining spirituality in writing complimenting the natural world. The poetry is simple yet beautiful in its form and message reminiscent of Romanticism.

Secondly, the book is a biography of the poet. Written by Becca Stevens, she centers on the life and accomplishments of Clement. Clement's work with the Bruderhof community is documented as well as the stages of her life. Clement seems to be one of the rare people whose devotion could be felt with her presence rather than her words. The third part consists of notes by Stevens describing the poems or putting them context. These are easily separated from the rest of the text because of the color of the ink used. The collection is also illustrated with photos of nature, Stevens, and Clement.

The book has the appearance of a modern devotional from the cover photo to the tint of the pages. The color photographs support the messages of the poetry and the grandeur of nature. The impression of a devotional not only describes the poet's work but also her influence. She inspired the music of the author Becca Stevens which made this book possible and opened the poetry of Clement to a new and younger audience.

This was an excellent introductions to three previously unknown to me artists: The author, the poet, and the person being honored. The author does a good job weaving the intersections of her life/work with that of the poet Jane Tyson Clement. The biography of the Clement was interesting enough that I wanted to know more.

I was actually surprised at how much the poetry spoke to me. A favorite was "Response to Criticism".

It was a pleasant read.

This advance readers’ copy (ARC) was most curious in that it combined Jane Tyson Clement’s poetry with the story of her life. The book also brought in singer-songwriter Becca Stevens, and how she has brought Clement’s poetry to many more people by incorporating it into her songs. Clement lived from 1917 to 2000 and while she had a curious life, that’s only part of this story. The book’s structure was very clever, but the poetry itself didn’t move me much at all. I leave it at that.

Summary. A collection of the poetry of Jane Tyson Clement, a member of the Bruderhof Community, interleaved with biography and comments by musician Becca Stevens, who has set several of Clement's works to music.

Jane Tyson Clement grew up in the shadow of Columbia, began writing poetry in high school and went to Smith College. Like many, she lost and then recovered her faith. She married in the shadow of World War II, to Robert, a lawyer. Both pacifists, they eventually found their way to the Bruderhof communities where they lived the rest of their lives. Some of Jane's poetry was published during her lifetime. More of it was found after her death from Alzheimer's disease in 2000.

This newly published work offers a sampling of her poetry throughout her life combined with biography, and the comments of Becca Stevens. Becca is a musician who found in Clement's Winter and February Thaw the words she was searching for to express grief for Kenya Tillery, a musical collaborator lost to breast cancer. Both of these works appear in this volume and one can listen to the song, Tillery, and four other settings of Clement's poems at Songs for The Heart's Necessities.

One of the marks of Clement's poem is the keen observation of nature--the sea, birds, trees, the seasons--and the whispers of the transcendent that we overhear in her poems, speaking to or echoing the heart's longings. The lines from which the book finds its title, in the poem Winter, are a good example:

The heart’s necessities
include the interlude
of frost restricted peace
on which the sun can brood.

Manasquan Inlet II is one of her last poems, and she is still connecting the ebb and flow of the tides and the "powers beyond our ken":

No one can stem the tide; now watch it run
to meet the river pouring to the sea!
And in the meeting tumult what a play
of waves and twinkling water in the sun!

Ordained by powers beyond our ken
beyond all wisdom, all our trickery,
immutable it comes, it sweeps, it ebbs
and clears the filthiness and froth of men.

Some of the most moving poems in this collection are the "To R.A.C." poems, written to Robert, her future husband. She traces the growth of their love from her first recognition of him, and she believes, he of her, to be followed by him walking out the door. We listen as they share their love of the world's beauty while their own love is growing. We hear her struggling with whether her love is some constructed thing, as she writes, "I will remember you not as you are/but as I willed you were."

Her later poems testify to her deepening faith, and are often piercing in insight. Lord, Show Me Thyself speaks to our longings for God, and yet how unprepared we are when God actually shows up and we are faced with the choice of whether we will "stand and open wide/the doors of being to thy light." She describes many of us, the respectable sinners, in Resolve as she declares, "My sins are inward and refined, my friends the gentle friends of God; I must go seek the publicans, the wild companions of my Lord."

Becca Stevens strikes me as one of many who are the "spiritual but not religious," one of those sometimes called a "none." Yet the poetry of Jane speaks deeply to her, and perhaps illustrates how more may be drawn to authentic beauty than persuasive attempts. She observes that "Jane has a rare ability to talk about God, spirituality, and faith in a way anyone can relate to--not in an alienating way....She looks to the movements of birds, the sea, and the seasons to answer her unresolved struggles with faith."

For that reason, Stevens involvement in this book seems to work. She doesn't impose interpretations upon us so much as let us hear her own musings on Clement's work. Her contributions allow us catch our breath after drinking deeply as we read the poetry. Interspersed biography helps us understand the settings of poems from different periods. The photography combines some of the places Jane Tyson Clement would have frequented and the creative process of Becca Stevens. All in all, it is exquisitely done. This book makes a wonderful gift to a friend, or to oneself, inviting us all to ponder "the heart's necessities."

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

I hadn't heard of Jane Tyson Clement and her poetry. I was missing out. She was a poet from an early age, clearly showing talent, and her voice began to emerge strongly in college. It's the journey not only of a writer, but as someone exploring her faith.

Veery Huleatt's editor's notes help to fill in the gaps about her life. Jane's involvement with the Bruderhof community was all the more clear because I had previously read another Plough Publishing House book, Water at the Roots: Philip Britts, Poems and Insights of a Visionary Farmer.

I was about halfway through the book, though, when I realized I hadn't read any poems in weeks. I opened to "To R.A.C. XVI" followed by three pages of Becca Stevens's interpretation of that poem and how it impacted her life. Ah. For me, that was the glitch. I skipped Becca's pages after that and read the poems as I saw them, not as someone else did, and I continued to enjoy Huleatt's additions about Jane's life. This is nothing against Stevens; I envision this book as one she undertook with joy and gratitude, but poems for me are personal, so I had to let her words go and focus on Jane's and what her poetry meant to me. As Jane said:

"I stand on the surge of hill and know myself."

An interesting read, not into poetry itself, but enjoyed the mixture of poems and bio plus the insight of the poems by a current poet. Kind of a three person perspective.½

The Heart’s Necessities, by Jane Tyson Clement and Becca Stevens, is a collection of Clement’s poetry and is interspersed with biographical commentary by Ms. Stevens. The selected poems are centered on the daily observations of life and nature. As such, they are an excellent complement to the biography.
In this lovely collection of poems there is also pictures from the poet’s life as well as images inspired by her work and pictures of Ms. Stevens. Although, the poems themselves is what I truly loved about this book. It was obvious to me from the beginning that Ms. Clement is gifted and her verse covers a wide range of topics from her relationship with her husband (there is a whole section dedicated to poems written for, and about, him) to those about nature.
Some of the poems were more straight forward and some more complex; however, all contained beautiful imagery. One of my favorites was from early in her life. It is titled,” It Was the Simplest Thing” I loved the opening and how it conveyed such longing even though the poems states otherwise. Another poem I enjoyed, and every writer should read, was titled “Writer’s (Abdominal) Cramp”. In a few short verses it told of such frustration with writing and how she had grown quite ill with it. I had to smile when I read that one!
It was a real pleasure to read this collection. Before this, I was not familiar with this poet. I am very glad to have been introduced to her work and know I will read more by her in the future. I highly recommend this collection to all lovers of poetry.
I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review. For more of my reviews, and author interviews, see my blog at www.thespineview.com.

"The Heart's Necessities" is a beautifully-realized volume of words and images celebrating the life and works of poet Jane Tyson Clement (1917–2000). Interspersed among Ms. Clements poems and life story are photographs--some vintage and sepia-toned--others are richly-hued and from present day. Ms.Clement's voice is not the only one heard here through words which resonate with the reader. Singer-songwriter Becca Stevens has blended the poet's work with her own, adapting poems into song lyrics and setting them to music. Some of my favorite titles here include: "Summer Night Storm"; "Now That My Love Has Come"; "Autumn Sketch"; and "January Song". "The Heart's Necessities" is a lovely collaboration of two gifted women from different generations and equal talents.

Book Copy Gratis Plough Publicity

I'm trying to incorporate more poetry in my reading so I requested this book from ER choices. What a beautiful find! The book itself is gorgeous - full of family photos and artistic photography of the seaside. The best treasures were the poetry (of course) and the commentary by songwriter Becca Stevens. This was accessible poetry begging to be read again and again. Jane Tyson Clement's poems were selected and organized with special care. There is a soulful bond between the two women and the reader is invited to share in this experience. This book can be read in any order, backward and forward. I expect my copy will be worn with re-reading over time.

This was a beautifully written book of poetry. From the Prologue to the actual body of the book, it is made to make you feel. I have read through the book twice so far and plan to read it again before handing it to my mother to read.

This is a book filled with beautiful poetry that will resonate deeply with readers. It really allows you to experience some of the emotions that Clement dealt with throughout her life.

Beautifully written poetry, where anyone could understand - All the feelings & mysteries of her life is explained in the writing - And now some of the poems are being turned into songs - this is a book, I will read over & over.

"The Heart's Necessities" offers a unique example of a book that shares the poetry of a wonderful poet with the life of the book's author. I enjoyed learning about both women. There is a sense of shared soulfulness throughout the book and the poignancy of the poetry certainly serves to compliment this phenomenon. Readers will delight in learning the details of these two women's lives.

If you are an aspiring poet this book would definitely be of interest to you. I believe poet Jane Tyson Clement would be very pleased that singer-songwriter Becca Stevens took the time to create this wonderful collection of Clement 's poetry and reflect on how it fit into her own life. In one of her poems Clement explained she could not "hide from Heaven" and indeed she could not do so. She died at a relatively young age. I encourage everyone to take the time to read this interesting book.½

A collection of Christian poetry exploring the varied emotions of life. Evoking comparisons to such better-known contemporaries as Jane Kenyon and Denise Levertov, Clement is direct and understated.