Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary

by Janet Grace Riehl

Following a family tragedy, author Janet Grace Riehl returns to her childhood home in the Midwest . There she turns to her craft-writing-for comfort and understanding in a world that seems stripped of meaning.

In her search she discovers a new sense of connection-a reunion with life before and after her sister’s death. Sightlines offers a frank portrait of a family not only coming to terms with its grief, but also celebrating its past and difficult present.

Although deeply personal, these poems strike poignant and universal chords. They offer a vision of life filled with little treasures that carry us back to what is truly important in our lives.

“Village wisdom for the 21st century. Between these covers lives an enlightening friend.”

-Clive Matson, author of Let the Crazy Child Write

“Janet Riehl’s poems tread that thin line between insightful nostalgia and objectivity Midwesterners are so good at.”

-Hal Zina Bennett, author of Write from the Heart

“Rich and vibrant, complete with vivid language that bursts, or sneaks, into our mind.”

-James BlueWolf, author of Sitting by His Bones and Grandpa Says

About the Author

Janet Grace Riehl is an award-winning author, artist, performer, and creativity coach. Her poems, stories, and essays have been widely published in national literary magazines such as Harvard Review and the newly-released anthology Stories to Live By: Wisdom to Help You Make the Most of Every Day. Her life moves between two great bodies of water-the Mississippi River in Southwestern Illinois and Clear Lake in Northern California .