The Weight of Snow

Sharon Lask Munson’s poems travel through space, tunnel through time, and cross generations. Whether free verse, prose poem, haiku or haibun, they carry, lean on and converse with each other in this exquisite volume of poetry. Personal history, family traditions, food, the natural world, pop culture, all blend into a sumptuous word stew. Reality is often heightened. Snow becomes more than snow. A collection of watches becomes an emblem of time. A dessert pastry becomes more than a dessert, ‘no two… cut from the same dough.’ She shows us that life can be painted with marvelous colors, sensuous images, and at ‘end of day’ be ‘strewn with possibilities.

Sharon Lask Munson was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She taught school in England, Germany, Okinawa, and Puerto Rico before driving to Anchorage, Alaska and staying for the next twenty years. She is a retired teacher, poet, coffee addict, old movie enthusiast, lover of road trips — with many published poems, two chapbooks, and one full-length book of poetry. She now lives and writes in Eugene, Oregon.

She says many things motivate her to write: a mood, a memory, the smell of cooking, burning leaves, a windy day, rain, fog, something observed or overheard — and of course, imagination. She has a pin that says, “I Make Things Up.

“Hold these poems in your mouth for a while. They’re filled with memory’s many flavors. If there is such a thing, Sharon Lask Munson is a master poetry chef. She’s a child who sneaks into the attic and examines old treasures. We sneak in with her. One poem’s title ‘Love, Decoded’ is indicative of what Munson accomplishes in this wonderful collection. Poems in the middle section grow up and heat up — ‘riots of color in an untamed garden.’  The last section takes a darker turn, where the poet claims she will ‘track down a scrap of my heart unleashed accidentally.’ Then Munson returns to the feast — ‘eggs, golden raisins, brown sugar, farmer’s cheese, walnuts, and a hint of cinnamon.’ Savor it all.”

— Colette Tennant, Professor of English at Corban University, Author of

    Eden and After, and Commotion of Wings

“Sharon Lask Munson’s poems travel through space, tunnel through time, and cross generations. Whether free verse, prose poem, haiku or haibun, they carry, lean on and converse with each other in this exquisite volume of poetry. Personal history, family traditions, food, the natural world, pop culture, all blend into a sumptuous word stew. Reality is often heightened. Snow becomes more than snow. A collection of watches becomes an emblem of time. A dessert pastry becomes more than a dessert, ‘no two... cut from the same dough.’ She shows us that life can be painted with marvelous colors, sensuous images, and at ‘end of day’ be ‘strewn with possibilities.’”

— Paul Fisher, Author of Rumors of Shore, and An Exaltation of Tongues

“Sharon Lask Munson writes with warmth born in the Midwest. Her restless spirit has taken her across the globe. These two elements, home and a love of adventure, give Munson a unique voice. Her poems in The Weight of Snow bring her two selves seamlessly together. Her poem ‘Kindred Spirit,’ tells us all we need to know. Her choice to allow a stranger into her life and her ability to fulfill his desire for connection, speaks of a genuine heart. Her delicate choice of images and words speaks of a nuanced poetic voice that affectively communicates stories about real people, real places, and real feelings.”

— Colette Jonopulous, Editor of Tiger’s Eye: A Journal of Poetry