In her book "Whirling Round the Sun" Suzanne Noguere concludes her poem "The Recitation" with the line: "I saw the seconds of my life made visible." This line captures the essence of her poetry: her poems restore the magic to being alive. The poems are divided into five sections. (The descriptions are mine; although the poet has created the sections, she has not given them subtitles). Each is introduced by a collage that resonates around the themes. David Wander is the artist. Part I is about writing and being an artist. "Ear Training for Poets" should be memorized by every young person with aspirations to be an artist. Part II. This section is devoted to memories of women in her family, including her own childhood. The poem, "Extremities" about her beloved aunt's slow death is chilling and brings tears in its recognition of our mortality. Part III. These are about the miracle of our bodies and the mysterious forces within us. The title poem of the volume is found here "Sometimes it seems almost beyond belief to be here whirling round the sun." The poem dramatizes that miracle for us. Part IV. These are about love and lovers, but not particularly romantic. Like the poems in the other sections, they embrace reality by employing metaphors from nature. "The stars stared back at me one country night as if to say, 'We are the world's memory made visible. These rays left us light-years ago.' So past was present in my eyes." Part V. In this final section, the terror and the sublime are brought together in poems about beasts, birds, fish, and trees. Once again the poet forces us to hold our breath as we whirl round the sun.

Suzanne Noguere concludes her poem "The Recitation" with the line "I saw the seconds of my life made visible." This line captures the essence of many of her poems, which make the seconds of our lives visible. This is what art and poetry used to be and should be about

Suzanne Noguere orchestrates a variety of sounds, colors, textures of artistic experience, transforming words into a literary symphony of visual intensity.The clarity of meaning is crafted through an intricate weave of lines delicate and strong as silk thread, stringing beads of words selective as precious gems. Those who have not heard Suzanne read her poetry have missed the full experience of the notes put to music by the instrument of origin. Ms.Noguere's reading of her poetry gives one the senseof being in the presense of composer, musician. poet and muse.

Wow, this book was pathetic. I have never read such a useless book. The storyline is basically a watered down version of the phantom tollbooth, but with incest/rape somehow thrown into the mix. What the heck is with that? Does every poet need to be molested by a family member before they can write good poetry? Do all poets need something to come to terms with? If you think so, then this book is for you. I guess.

For most survivors of childhood sexual abuse, the core of the trauma is memory's betrayal - it never happened, and with the betrayal comes the collapse of the personality, the sense of self and self-worth. As Suji is told, she must pay her "father's tab." She embarks on a journey with help from spirits, shape-shifters, crows, philosophers, and poets from "The Other Side" to find her own song (her voice), her blues, and a Self she never had. This reader is (was) also transformed by the rich, beautifully illustrated art form, portraying Suji's remembering.

Jennifer Leighton, Psychoanalyst