Is, Is Not: Poems - Softcover

“[Gallagher’s] mode of elegy is one of transcendence, and it extends to even the changed lives of the living.”―The Millions

“Is, Is Not is a thorough and unapologetic exploration of the self. Gallagher’s poems, like the shattered reflection of the moon in the ever-changing flowing water of the world, reveal various parts of that self―sometimes coherent, sometimes ambiguous and evasive―as it is transformed by experience.”―Harvard Review

“Each poem, fully realized, builds toward a collection that is luminous and far ranging―both in substance and in form.”―The Oregonian

“Tess Gallagher is an American classic. . . . Gallagher’s voice is so clear, graceful and unstoppable―and it ranges so greatly from large matters to small―she makes poetry’s dreams come true.”―Washington Independent Review of Books

“[Gallagher’s poetry] is intelligent, lives on the page, and makes a music out of thinking.”―Hudson Review

“Tess Gallagher is in top form with this collection of challenging but intellectually rewarding poems."―Shelf Awareness

“Impressively wide-ranging in its intellectual inquiry. . . . Gallagher’s craft excels as she balances image and abstraction, grounding the wild flights of the speaker’s philosophical imagination.”―Publishers Weekly, starred review

“[In Is, Is Not,] carefully constructed reveries are a bridge between then and now, consciousness and belief. . . . This is the joy of poetry, for both writer and reader: each poem is handmade on the page. . . . Readers of quiet, thoughtful poetry will find much to savor.”―Library Journal