The poet Paul Celan noted that, in his view of language, thinking and thanking are cognate, innately connected in their roots and connotations. Elements & Offerings, a new collection of poems by Dan Beachy-Quick, is a book-length poetic investigation of that hope—that to think is to learn to thank; that to thank is to learn to think. The first two sections seek a way to work toward poetic origins, taking inspiration from the alphabet, first philosophy, grammar, and prophecy; the last section offers poems composed over many years, simple gifts of gratitude to teachers and friends.

“Dan Beachy-Quick’s poems bubble up from the ancient sources—the grand, deep sources—rich in antiquity and rendered in classical gravity. So how is it they glisten with such cutting-edge innovation, such true aliveness and invention? Beachy-Quick is one of our most erudite contemporary poets yet one of our most soulful. Such is the source of his wizardry. He knows that philosophy, rich and vital, is not just knowledge but a generative love of wisdom.” ~David Baker