This new collection by Donna Baier Stein offers readers the reflections of a mature woman who has few illusions about life but who moves forward with courage, hope, and love. Expertly crafted, perfectly pitched and paced, these poems call readers into the immediate and extended circle of the poet's family; they speak the language of dreams (those that haven't come true and those that might); and they meditate upon strengths and frailties that empower the human spirit. Attentive to the particular, these are eloquent and accessible poems of people and place, of self-realization, and of acceptance. Donna Baier Stein is a skilled and keenly observant poet whose work is underscored by compassion and gratitude. In Letting Rain Have Its Say, she leaves a resonant and indelible impression.
Adele Kenny, A Lightness, A Thirst, or Nothing at All
In Letting Rain Have Its Say Donna Baier Stein proves that she's an amazing poet, one who reaches below the surface to find the telling detail, the pulse at the heart of ordinary life. This is a book full of love and anguish, celebration and grief. It Is unforgettable for its emotional honesty, for the way it reminds us what it means to be human.
Maria Mazziotti Gillan, American Book Award Winner
If Donna Baier Stein were a sculptor instead of a poet, her work would be finely chiseled with extraordinary precise detail and a breathtaking soaring beauty. It is hard to think of a voice as compassionate and full of grace as hers in her newest book of poems. She is a master of capturing time and place from her youth in the Midwest through the complex geography of love, marriage, family, divorce, inner and outer travel, her journey as a writer. Her voice is at times both wise and philosophic, but never judgmental. Put this book on your night table so that at those moments of angst we too often live with in these times, you can reach for Letting Rain Have Its Say not only for comfort but for profound pleasure.
Laura Boss, The Best Lover
