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Inspired by Buddhist tradition, these poems explore finding meaning and beauty in the mundane moments of contemporary life. Subjects include dogs, teaching, and the nature of mortality. What makes these poems particularly special is how relatable and accessible they are to contemporary readers.

"San Angelo poet Laurence Musgrove, one of Texas’ favorite poetry teacher-mentors and most generous editors, has made for us an expansive and luminous gift of his most recent collection, A Stranger’s Heart. Texas Poet Laureate Jan Seale calls this collection intoxicating and honest, always 'circling back to hope.' Though Musgrove has published many poems and other collections, the poems in A Stranger’s Heart seem the work of a whole life, reaching back to childhood and spanning much of the biography of 'a man / Who fell into the line of men who / Knew who needed words and when' (74). It has different life stories in it, too – one of a teacher, a dog lover, one of a writer, of a soul who knows 'stars shine because they are crying light' (71)." --Casey L. Ford