If there is a better book of poetry based on weather—as subject, theme, motif—literal, symbolic, or metaphorical, I certainly haven't seen it. . . . If you are interested in beautifully crafted, thoughtful, and memorable poems displaying a breadth and depth of reading, travel, experience, acute observation, and wise rendition, Soon After Rain may well be exactly what you're looking ... Read morefor. There is an earned reason for the fact that James Hoggard is deemed 'brilliant' by his literary peers. It is on display within these pages." —David Lee, former poet laureate of Utah and author, Last Call "James Hoggard is a Texan of extraordinary scope: family man, athlete, teacher, translator, author. As a writer, he has proved to be a master of the novel, short stories, essays, and nonfiction books. But as this remarkable collection shows, he is at heart a poet. The range displayed in Soon After Rain is stunning, with poems inspired by travel, works of art, day-to-day life, classic literature, aging, weather, and nature—most especially nature—each honed honestly and exquisitely. Soon After Rain is a major achievement." —W .K. Stratton, past president, Texas Institute of Letters, and author, Chasing the Rodeo "The atmospherics of these closely observed poems are replete with blessings." —Kurt Heinzelman, professor of poetry and poetics, University of Texas–Austin, and author, Intimacies & Other Devices "Inspired by art, travel, politics, classical mythology and weather (to name a few), Soon After Rain is large-hearted as well as large-minded. Hoggard is a prodigious and prolific talent with an intellectual curiosity who produces equally well a pastoral celebration of the benediction of rain ('Soon after rain has stopped, a silence comes when no bird sings and no wind stirs. The world seems briefly mute and sweet attention's everywhere.'), an anguished, outraged elegy for Nineveh ('…this place had been huge when great cities were few.') and a bemused lament over questionable land development decisions ('There are no antique shards to dig up here. The Indians dared not set their camps near here.') —Michelle Newy Lancaster, texasbooklover.com Show Less