Of Silence and Song

Musings on joy and suffering, midlife and meaning, by a National Book Award–nominated poet and essayist praised for his "fine ear" (Publishers Weekly).

Midway through the journey of his life, Dan Beachy-Quick found himself without a path, unsure how to live well. Of Silence and Song follows him on his resulting classical search for meaning in the world and in his particular, quiet life. In essays, fragments, marginalia, images, travel writing, and poetry, Beachy-Quick traces his relationships and identities. As father and husband. As teacher and student. As citizen and scholar. And as poet and reader, wondering at the potential and limits of literature.

Of Silence and Song finds its inferno—and its paradise—in moments both historically vast and nakedly intimate. Hell: disappearing bees, James Eagan Holmes, Columbine, and the persistent, unforgivable crime of slavery. And redemption: in the art of Marcel Duchamp, the pressed flowers in Emily Dickinson's Bible, and long walks with his youngest daughter.


Curious, earnest, and masterful, Of Silence and Song is an unforgettable exploration of the human soul.

Praise for the writing of Dan Beachy-Quick:

"Intelligent, compassionate, exquisite . . . a unique voice." —Cole Swensen


"Rich, profound, fascinating." —Los Angeles Times