In that workshop I was able to discover and free the voice that was urging itself forward in my writing. In the incredibly beautiful natural environment of the Cascade Head, amidst moss covered old growth spruce, towering redwoods and cedars and amazing views to the sea, my longing for connection was met in the aliveness of the natural world.
The pieces I wrote there had a vitality that was life changing for me. The writing came to me in great swaths and those poems, along with many others I have written since then, now appear in this book.
Five years later Light Like No Other was published just in time for a reunion with my original teacher in her new writer’s workshop at Sitka in Aug. 2023. It was a wonderful celebration of a turning of the circle. I was able to give a reading of my new book to members of our new workshop, in the charming library set amidst the old growth spruce trees of this beautiful art center.
I am including here the blurb from the back cover of Light Like No Other written by teacher and author Rebecca Jamieson. It will give you the best idea of the themes in the book. I sincerely hope that this book will be a light and a comfort to your life.
David Evans brings his wisdom, immense heart, and deep reverence for life to his second collection of poems, Light Like No Other. In this intimate collection, Evans explores his evolving relationship with self, spirituality, and the natural world.
With a conversational lyricism he meditates on healing from childhood trauma, shame, regret, and self-judgment. His poems embody what it means to love fully, move towards peace with our lives, and find a tender acceptance of our mortality. The vulnerable pieces reveal a growing courage to feel deeply and face life as it is.
Evans’ poems come alive with imagery of circling hawks, flocks of geese, soaring gulls, chatting finches and talking mountains. On long walks over coastal beaches, wetland paths, along river banks, and trails through headland forests, his beloved Oregon sings with startling clarity, providing the backdrop for his emerging self-love and a profoundly awakened relationship to life. He revises his old ideas about God and embraces a deep sense of gratitude and joy through a deeply felt interconnectedness with the creative energy of the natural world. “Is this prayer enough?” he muses. “Where are you now Lord?” “Ask the sparrows. They will tell you. The whole universe is singing!”
A gorgeous book for all seasons of life, Light Like No Other will newly awaken you to the luminous beauty of the world and leave you tenderhearted and brimming with gratitude.”
— Rebecca Jamieson, author of The Body of All Things
What people are saying about Light Like No Other
There is so much to contemplate and savor in David’s new book of poems, Light Like No Other. His fresh imagery, haunting landscapes, and topics from aging, to mortality, forgiveness and love, made reading this collection a pure delight.
What struck me most forcefully is the way David makes relationships between humans and the natural world so personal. The poems in which trees, birds and mountains share their perspectives in imagined conversations with humans were very moving. With the simple shift in point of view poems like Grass Mountain Remembers, Spruce Talk, and At the Mudflat Church brought me new insights and perspectives on the living world that I found unique, enchanting, and memorable.
After reading this collection of poems, I will never take a walk in a coastal forest or on a bayside mudflat again without listening for conversations just like the ones that David described in this poetry collection. I loved this book!”
Light Like No Other is my go-to poetry book for daily inspiration! David’s poetry is immediate, poignant, and stirring. From his intimate contact with the dynamic energies of the natural world to the complexities of living in a human body, each line is like a blessing, inviting me to wake up and pay attention. The freshness of David’s poems makes me want to go out, listen, and look more closely at the beauty around me.”
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