THE POEM FOREST Poet W. S. Merwin and the Palm Tree Forest He Grew from Scratch

Carrington MacDuffie narrates this biography of the award-winning poet and ecologist W.S. Merwin. She speaks clearly and simply, complementing the poet's love of nature and suiting the book's target audience of young children. In addition to being a renowned poet (he was a two-time U.S. poet laureate), Merwin was concerned with preserving the natural world. The story skims through his early years. Beginning with his arrival in Hawaii, background music accompanies the narration. The Hawaiian hand drums, in particular, give a sense of the relentless purpose with which he worked--not only in writing poetry but also in planting a protected palm forest on land that was previously deemed a wasteland. An author's note and MacDuffie's reading of Merwin's poem "Palm" conclude the audiobook. L.T. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2023]