"The Benson brothers have put together not only a fine book of poems well worth keeping close but also a strong testament of faith in those subtleties of blood that can elevate the ordinary into song."
-Gary Gildner, winner of the Iowa Poetry Prize, Pushcart Prize, etc.; author of two novels, a collection of short stories, two memoirs, and nine books of poetry, including Cleaning a Rainbow, his most recent.
"This is what poetry was meant to be, neither overly-sentimental nor veiled in obscure imagery. The poems read like music you have discovered as you search across the radio dial. ...

The joy of reading Poems By The Skunk River Valley Boys by Barry and Steve Benson is to watch grown men pay such careful attention to the world. The first "rule" in Barrys poem "Rules for Frustrated Poets" is to "Heed the image" - and thats exactly what these poems do. Here youll find people (like Aunt Clara) places (mostly Iowa), rock and roll songs, the aurora borealis, plants and animals ( wolves, deer, pheasants, muskrats, pigs, hippos, bees). In the end these are poems about remembering, but what they really teach us is how to see.

- Keith Ratzlaff, Author of Man...