The Complete Poems

“Devoted to precision of craft as well as greatest heart, Wendy Barker wrote with immense care and affection for this world, her students, language, and the bright, unexpected hope that well-shaped poetry offers.” ~Naomi Shihab Nye

“These poems collect readily into a relaxed but constant liminality, all moments tilted toward joy but with an unnerving undercurrent of what it has taken to earn their modicum of happiness.” ~Alberto Ríos

“Barker’s wide-ranging, keenly observed poems enable us to see her life and times more fully. They are a sustained literary achievement, a hard-won clarification and expansion of experience.” ~Edward Hirsch