By Richard Smith

In a remote village in medieval England, the plague pandemic wipes out half the population, leaving behind a twelve-year-old shepherd boy, alone except for his dog. Working together, the two survive near-starvation and a brutal winter and manage to keep their flock alive. When the pandemic subsides, they face the task of reconnecting with the world around them. Poet Meg Kearney, who selected Smith’s book for the 2021 May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Prize, had this to say: “Timely, remarkable, and unforgettable, these eighty-four sonnets are so well crafted that we cease to notice the form, swept away as we are by the current of the story and its song. “

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