A Nancy Willard Reader Selected Poetry and Prose

Selections from Nancy Willard’s acclaimed volumes of poetry and prose

This diverse collection features some of Nancy Willard’s most critically lauded poetry—including works from her Newbery Medal–winning volume, A Visit to William Blake’s Inn—as well as her short fiction and four unconventional essays on writing.

Hens, children, magic bottles, and the moon are just some of the characters running through the luminous musings gathered here. “How to Stuff a Pepper” becomes a heady discourse on the thoughts and sleeping habits of peppers. “The Doctrine of the Leather-Stocking Jesus” and “The Hucklebone of a Saint” are tales about the power of superstition to shape our lives. Other stories showcase favorite Willard themes about God, religion, and the magic and mysticism in everyday life—and the ancestors, guardians, saints, and spirits who, in Willard’s words, come back “once in a while to keep an eye on us, the living.”

A paean to the power of storytelling, A Nancy Willard Reader is an essential volume for poetry and fiction lovers.

Nancy Willard (1936–2017) grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was the author of two novels, seven books of stories and essays, and twelve books of poetry, including The Sea at Truro (2012). A winner of the Devins Memorial Award, she received NEA grants in both fiction and poetry. Her book Water Walker was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and her picture book A Visit to William Blake’s Inn was the first volume of poetry to receive the Newbery Medal, the country’s highest honor for children’s writing.