Author Description

Review “From sexual to sacred, from bawdy to beautiful, Jane Chance’s poems in The Middle Ages capture the mind’s eye and the soul’s ear. The sharp, pointed endings of several poems remind me of the acerbic wit of revered modern American poet, Ruth Stone. But instead of metaphors from the world of science, Chance uses a fully-informed, medieval imaginary to evoke the emotions of the heart and critique the limits of daily existence in contemporary society. Chance’s poems will resonate with her readers. Her vivid images shimmer in memory long after the book is closed. A fine collection of poems!” Jane Beal, Associate Professor of English, University of La Verne in Southern California, has published Sanctuary (2008) and Rising: Poems for America (2015), and edited an anthology on teaching The Middle English Pearl for the Modern Language Association (2017). “Jane Chance is an accomplished scholar and a renowned medievalist, and she brings that expertise to bear on her crafting of her newest book, The Middle Ages. But the poems here are, like their author, of “two minds” where historical knowledge and scholarly precision are informed by a deep poetic sensibility, and by playfulness—the brilliance of that intersection. These are poems that surprise us, again and again, with wit and tenderness.” Robin Davidson, Professor of English, University of Houston Downtown, and City of Houston Poet Laureate (2015-2017), has published two chapbooks and the full-length Luminous Other, winner of The Ashland Poetry Press’s 2012 Richard Snyder Memorial Publication Prize. “My response to this collection is yes and yes. The Middle Ages takes us on a journey from childhood to motherhood, from the trials and tribulations of academia to the harsher realities of aging. A masterpiece to be reckoned with, a search for one’s true self.” Patricia Dunn, Director of the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, and author of the criticall