Michael Hogan, as a poet and educator, has been gifted with friendships of fellow writers throughout most of his life. Three of these were Nobel laureates, still others household names: Seamus Heaney, W.S. Merwin, Charles Bukowski, Marge Piercy, Naomi Shihad Nye and Ray Bradbury, among a dozen others . What is surprising is what he manages to do with such experiences in this book. Through a series of narrations centered on wide-ranging episodes with other poets, the author distills a unique kind of ars poetica, one that is tied less to a traditional memoir, than to the impression these men and women left upon him, and which conveys to the reader invaluable advice about the practice and the craft of writing. Michael Hogan's lifetime friendship with many authors, including three Nobel Prize laureates, was no accident. Respected for his own work and appreciated for his many reviews of their own books, other writers found him to be a generous colleague and astute critic. His students (and now we as readers) are the lucky inheritors of those fortunate relationships. As a former school head, I am highly appreciative of his gifts to this and previous generations. Robert J. Trent, former director general, American School Foundation of Guadalajara, A.C. Hogan's enthusiasm is contagious, and his intellectual curiosity creates an atmosphere of joy and wonder in the classroom. He truly loves his students and has taught with remarkable success under very difficult circumstances and in a variety of alternative program as well as in the traditional classroom. He is an inspiring presence in education abroad. Richard Shelton, Regents Professor, University of Arizona Volunteer teachers in prison are rare and usually last only a short time before they are discouraged or forced by the demands of time and finances to cut short their service. Michael Hogan not only taught these classes off and on for years but encouraged other writers of merit with national reputations to join him. His work resulted in a lower recidivism for the participants, as well as providing a valuable emotional outlet. Harold Caldwell, former warden, Arizona State Prison, Florence. Michael Hogan is a fine writer, and an incredible brave and tenacious man. Charles Fair, American Poetry Review. Active poet-in-the-schools in four states, conducting workshops in prisons throughout the nation, on Indian reservations, and in colleges and universities, Hogan was a phenomenon. He also developed meaningful relationships with a many significant American poets, many of which are chronicled here. On several occasions, we co-taught workshops and I was able to observe how engaged and effective he was, truly reaching every sort of student he interacted with, including those from Hispanic communities— never judging or setting himself above anyone, but always drawing out their best. Now in semi-retirement he shares some best teaching strategies and life hacks, from the finest writers of the 20th century. Joseph Bruchac, founder and editor, the Greenfield Review. Michael Hogan puts his hand on the readers' shoulders and like an Irish pal from County Kerry, slowly walks us homeward. Along the way, we stop to listen to the wisdom of the poets and writers we've come to love. Seamus Heaney, Naomi Shihab Nye, William Stafford, Jane Hirshfield, Tess Gallagher. How wonderful to encounter them again in these pages with this gracious and unassuming narrator in the background! Henry McCarthy, host of Poets and Writers WEHC 90.7 This book is a miscellany of conversations I have had over the past forty years with powerful voices, some well-known, others less so, whose work provided a green fuse that, with the least spark of attention, will continue to ignite attentive readers today. At least half of those authors have died since I first began taking these notes, so the elegiac impulse is an additional motivator for memorializing their lives so that future generations can experience their vital presence as well as their poetry.             Although I use quotation marks in the dialogue sections, these are recreations of exchanges based on notes, journal entries, and my imperfect memory. As W.S. Merwin said of his many translations, they are "versions," and thus do not always fully render the speech patterns or nuances of the originals. But I believe they do render faithfully both the substance and the passion of the authors' remarks as I recall them.             Writers highlighted here began as readers of poetry who became so impressed with the "quietness and beauty" certain images brought to their minds, that they embarked on a long apprenticeship to attain mastery of the art.  Some went far beyond that mastery and became known worldwide, receiving prizes and awards. Almost all became service providers of one sort or another, sharing their vision and words with public audiences, teaching their craft at universities and schools, or translating the work of fellow