That Said

"Richard Huttel investigates the present to construct a narrative of loss and recovery. There is humour and beauty and sheer pleasure here. There is also an inordinate kindness and appreciation of how we live with small gifts and the attention they deserve. Read this book and enjoy the mature, rich vision of a fine poet in his ripeness." --Maxine Chernoff "These poems are chock-a-block with cartoon figures, dogs, musicians, baseball, youth, age, magic numbers, bad French, movies, chess. These are not poemy poems, they are worldy poems. A wonderful, sad, quirky world in which Sparky the dog, in the end, can stretch out in the captain's chair and dream of Canada." --Jim Smith "How moving it is to read these poems by Richard Huttel, poems that regret, yet tenderly accept, the passing of generations, the letting go of life even by those who find it most beautiful. Huttel's touch is light, but it reaches our hearts. He notices, for instance, that the generation of people who could tell you "which Brooklyn Dodger shortstop was named for a kind of marble" will soon be gone. Huttel reminds us of our transience, but holds us gently while he does so." --David W. McFadden & Merlin Homer "Richard Huttel's That Said is a map of a city, of grace, twilight and sun, heroic sports figures, radio music, the passage of time, the jokes on the porch, the sadness after the jokes on the porch, daily mystery, real howling and real humour. It may make you burst into song!" --Alice Burdick