A Way of Happening

These personal and literary essays, about work, travel and art, inquire into the relationship between our lives on 'street level'-grounded and specific-and the core values of art. Subjects range from a sewer-repair crew to a cross-country horseback ride (part I); from literary analysis to a celebration of great writers and visual artists (part II); and the attainment of well being through travel adventures (part III). All in all, the art of these essays is found in the language of precision and specificity, and no small amount of humor. That is their way of happening.Endorsements for Robert StewartFor Outside Language 'This is a beautiful and courageous collection of essays. . . Who cannot be grateful for this dedicated, quietly joyful celebration of being and making.' -Kelly Cherry 'The pleasure of these essays is in confronting a mind that is subtle, learned, yet informal, a sensibility that can embrace the earthiest as well as the most refined materials, and a craft that is highly evolved. Put yourself in Robert Stewart’s hands.' -Phillip Lopate For The Narrow Gate 'Bob Stewart, one of the last of the great visionary editors, sets forth in these essays his arrow-sharp and deeply lived esthetic, philosophical and moral insights.' -Andrei Codrescu 'Bob is a fine essayist and poet in his own right, with a command of imagery that suggest his roots in the real working world. He has, and both his writing and his editing convey it,the old-fashioned virtue of character. -Janet Burroway For poems, Higher 'Bob Stewart is a superb poet and essayist. His keen eye and supple imagination are among his most remarkable gifts.' -Conger Beasley Jr. 'Robert Stewart’s Higher is a treasure: witty, spare, emotionally generous . . . How can a book by humble, idiomatic, and lofty at once? Open this literary treasure chest . . . and find out.’ -Marilyn Kallet