[04/22/25] Spiers, Ann: Wild Cucumber

In the opening lines of Wild Cucumber, Ann Spiers writes, “leaving / I walk left into morning glory / no shortcuts.” In her latest full-length collection, Spiers’s poems reveal intimate human yearning, draping events with the lush and rugged backdrops she travels as girl, woman, mother, grandmother, teacher, lover, hiker, writer, birder, gardener, and in many other voices. Interweaving distinctive imagery of natural and made landscapes with details of local, political, and women’s history, these poems explore the islands, beaches, and volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest; the canyonlands of the Southwest; and visits to Mexico and Thailand. In Wild Cucumber, Spiers invites us along on her enduring journey with no shortcuts offered or needed.