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MWSA Review
Seasons of New Mexico: A Natural High, is a collation of poems by John J. Candelaria and Wanda W. Jerome, with photographs by Jasmine Tritten (with some contributed by Rick Speed and John Candelaria) that portray the New Mexico landscape and culture. The book is divided into four sections named for the seasons, each section introduced by a dramatic full-page photograph that highlights the season, either with a close-up of a flower or a more distant landscape. Poems are presented in alternating fashion by poet, most accompanied by a small photographic image or a graphic of animal tracks or chili peppers.
The photographs are quite appealing. The colorful landscapes—the fiery sunrise and sunset skies, the misty mountain ridges, the bold pink roses against the dark mountains, a gold autumn tree against the bright blue sky—are stunningly rendered. However, most are too small to have the dramatic impact they deserve, and there are many that are similar, also cutting down on their impact. There are a few other photographs of people, animals, and historical and cultural objects,
The poetry, like the photography, has some appealing qualities. Wanda Jerome's poems muse quietly on the desert landscape and wind and clouds and creatures; John Candelaria's poems describe his memories of particular places such as El Malpais National Monument, the Museum of Natural History, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, adding interesting facts to his descriptions.
I did find that simply picking up the book and flipping through to look at a photo and read the paired poem was often enjoyable, and I expect this is what other readers will also find.
Review by Nancy Arbuthnot
Author's Synopsis
A poetic picture of the many ways New Mexico calls people to love her land - the flora and fauna - the diverse cultures that make her The Land of Enchantment. This tapestry of poetry and photography captures both ancient and new places with words, colors and vistas - her glorious sunrises and blue skies - the TRUE essence of the homeplace known as New Mexico.
Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Poetry—Poetry Book
Pages/Word count: 141 / 16,420