Still Life Forms

About the Book

It has been ten years since William English published his last collection of poems, and I can honestly say, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this next edition. Upon first glance, it was natural to try and place the new collection in close proximity to the old. It quickly became clear to me that this was a dangerous mistake. Despite the fact that William is operating in the same vicinity, there is an important and different temperament to the poems in “Still Life Forms.” Don’t get me wrong. There is no jettisoning of earlier ideas. All of the familiar supernatural/natural relational dynamics and philosophical dialogues are still there. Man’s place before God, believers, unbelievers, creation, sin, death and redemption are all out in full. As the title of the collection suggests, however, there is strong theme of God’s intentionality in all of it. There seems to be less struggling with the existence of these relationships and more probing into what God is doing through them. I’m not talking about a cliched evangelical “God is Sovereign” response, but rather a discovery of God’s glory by staring at even the most difficult and jarring “Still Life.” Whether the title is an allusion to the art form itself, a final comment on the continuity of the created order, or both, it is clear that the author is growing more comfortable with his place in the world. Not comfortable in the sense of satisfaction, but rather comfortable like a workman whose best work is done when he understands the constraints of his resources and the tools he uses to hone his craft. This being the case, I sincerely hope we don’t have to wait another ten years before we get another glimpse of how William sees the world. Regardless of how long it takes, I hope he remains true to his craft and delivers yet another reason to praise the Father. Blair Allen

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