Goddess Wears Cowboy Boots

Lamar University Press, 2014. Trade Paperback. 103 pages. Texas poet. Despite being a university press title, there are only 6 holding in OCLC. A print-on-demand title, manufactured in May 2015. A fine copy in wrappers (paperback). Inscribed by the author.

These are poems that lovers of poetry will much admire, fans of stories will enjoy, and poets will find astonishing for the poetic mastery in the integration of form and meaning. Katherine Hoerth is a lyric poet of anecdotes and stories. Rather than tell a story her poems immerse readers in it with images speaking to all five senses. Open the book to any page and you will find the richness of her imagery. Here are samples from 5 random pages: the reader can experience the taste of pomegranate, smell the odor of spritzed perfume, feel the sunbaked warmth of a rock, and hear a birdsong. Often Hoerth's images become more vivid for their mixing, for their surprising synesthesia. Adding to the lyrical effect of the masterful use of imagery are the sounds. Most lines are blank verse, a subtle, musical form that in Hoerth's hands enhances the words rather than intruding upon them. In these pages the poet loans us her remarkable sensibilities so we can experience her world, and if we are wise, we can apply her sensual wisdom to new examinations of our own lives.