Poems by George N Wallace

In this debut collection of poetry, retired Colorado State University professor George N Wallace takes us on a far-ranging and adventurous journey that can only be the product of a long life full of good work, determination, and a careful eye for observation. From international conservation work, to his own farm in Northern Colorado, Wallace invites the reader into his world of ranch hands, beloved farm animals, baseball, and the prospects for renewal through careful stewardship of the land.

“George Wallace’s Enjoying The Work sings the high-note blue-collar praises, thank the reader’s luckiest stars, of that which remains wild, from cosmos, to climate, to earthly landscape (oceans included), to fellow plant-and-animal soulful beings.”

—Paul Zarzyski, poet

"I’m skilled at resisting requests for comments on books. I managed to resist this one until I read in the preface that George Wallace likes to read poetry to unsuspecting teenagers and people who may not read much poetry, because the act surprises both parties. Here’s a poet with the deep understanding of place that comes from 75 years’ residence. He’s one of the folks he writes about, cowboys and farmers who are artists, “guardians of grass, water and dark sky.” He likes doing outdoor work because “You can see it from the road.” He records images that will outlast us all with an honesty that arises from his having made peace with the years, and his dreams remind him of small Nebraska towns. Love and clear-eyed resistance, he says, will prevail against our current national disharmony. In times like these, he reminds us, if we want to find “good help,” we need to be good help."

—Linda M. Hasselstrom, author of Bitter Creek Junction, No Place Like Home, and Between Grass and Sky

"George Wallace writes with great zest and affection for the American West, and his poems are seasoned, like the tack he describes in “Doing the Math,” with “rain, snow, mud, blood, saddle soap, sweat, / and lots of miles.” What impresses me most about his work is its range and variety. This book is packed tight with landscapes that shimmer and shine; bright portraits of people, dogs, and mules; social and ecological visions; classic cowboy humor; memories from long ago and far away; helpful thoughts in clear, clean language. But what I love most, aside from Wallace’s wonder at the world, is the way his language zings and sings in lines likes these: “mothers and calves / will likely nurse before settling low in the lee / below rows of grey and green trees / out of the wind, in the warmth / and cinnamon sugar light of cattails.” From a long life of careful thought and physical work on the land, Wallace has close at hand many words missing too long from American poetry: shelter belt, sawbuck, tamp, zerk, drat. Enjoy."

—Bart Sutter, author of Farewell to the Starlight in Whiskey