bravery

by Nicholas Trandahl

In his third book of poetry, Nicholas Trandahl blends autobiography and observation. His poems weave between the hush of domesticity and nature, to the exhilaration of travel and adventure. Bravery is a collection that further cements Trandahl as an honest voice in today’s American poetry.

Genres: Poetry

121 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 24, 2019

About the author

Nicholas Trandahl is a poet, journalist, outdoorsman, and U. S. Army veteran. He lives in Wyoming with his wife and daughters. He has had four poetry collections and a novel published. His most recent poetry collection is Mountain Song.
Trandahl’s poetry collection Bravery was the recipient of the 2019 Wyoming Writers Milestone Award, and his poem “Francis and Sistani” was nominated for the 2021 Pushcart Prize. His poems have been published or are forthcoming in various literary journals, including but not limited to the James Dickey Review, Sky Island Journal, High Plains Register, The Dewdrop, Duck Head Journal, Resurrection Magazine, Dreich Magazine, Voices de la Luna, Deep Wild Journal, Wild Roof Journal, Twenty Bellows, and anthologies from Middle Creek Publishing, Wee Sparrow Poetry Press, and the New York Quarterly.
Additionally, Trandahl serves as the Chairman of the annual Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest and is the poetry editor for the literary journal The Dewdrop.

Reviews

[Robert A. A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real poetry doesn’t give answers. It’s about searching, hunting if you will. In his most recent collection, Nicholas Trandahl says, “there’s a place where inspiration thunders out like a bear – startles you into action.” This collection comes from such a place. With Bravery, Trandahl stays true to his sources while combining them to add gravitas to his already solid voice. In Shedding Skin, he asks “Have all the good and gentle things hidden themselves away?” With this poem, Trandahl talks about how he found snakeskins as a child. And as he searches more and more, he finds them even less. This poem is a moving metaphor to anyone who has experienced the loss of wonder that accompanies age, yet like a true idealist, Trandahl expresses his need to continue searching “ever darker/ever deeper.” The poem, Fontana Di Trevi, shows versatility and perhaps a hint of evolution as it tells the story of a young girl who makes a wish in the fabled Italian fountain. It has touches of myth, and makes me think of Felini’s La Dolci Vita. For readers who enjoyed Trandahl’s earlier books (Pulling Words and Think of Me), poems such as Dugout Gulch in Late Summer and The Serenity of Decay come from the same vein and continue to display his appreciation of nature and terse prose. Like its predecessors, Bravery is a solid manuscript that’s closely rooted in the style of Jim Harrison and Ernest Hemingway, but Nicholas Trandahl shows that he is willing to grow and evolve, showing that he is not afraid of culture or vulnerability and able to intertwine them with his grittier prose. He is a writer on the move. In the title poem, when Trandahl instructs, “So be courageous, hunter. Walk on.” He is instructing the reader to go further down his path where poetry does not merely give answers. It asks questions and encourages the reader to search.

[Kristiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a follower of Trandahl's work for a while now and I have always admired the succinct way he captures the beauty of nature and home. His collection, Bravery, uses the peace and hope found in nature as its backbone whilst Trandahl also writes about love, family, and alludes to life in the military. 

Trandahl sitting on his deck, smoking a pipe, reading or writing and listening to the sounds of home is a motif in this collection; reoccurring alongside descriptions of sunset and twilight. At times, it felt as if each piece ran into the other; bleeding watercolours which paint the natural world in vivid summer and autumn hues. Yet, at other times, pieces stood out and demonstrated the breadth of Trandahl's poetic voice. 

'Labor Day' illustrated the peace to be found in writing, whilst 'Pacific Coast Highway' alluded to a past the speaker does not wish to share any longer and highlighted the comfort which can be found in conversing with a stranger. Pieces like these were bolstered by Trandahl's sensitivity in 'My Daughter Taking Photographs', about the thin thread which ties a father to his daughter, and 'Garland of Stones', a beautiful snapshot of a husband attempting to console his grief-stricken wife. Finally, 'El Paso' and 'Baptism' hinted at the brutal and violent life Trandahl once led, in the military, but both are gorgeously offset by the autumnal journal, 'The Serenity of Decay', a work which grounds the reader and transports them back to where Bravery began; at home, in nature. 

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trandahl's poetry calls to the observer in all of us - honest and direct, each line nudges open the door onto his experiences in beautiful and simple increments. Reminiscent of some of our greatest contemporary nature poets (think Harrison and Snyder), I greatly look forward to seeing more from this writer. Truly a fantastic and accessible collection, this one goes directly onto my favorites shelf.

[Ashly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this collection reminds me of my favorite film of all time - Legends of the Fall (I know it's based on a short story collection; I haven't read it yet.) If you haven't seen the movie, I mean. You're missing out.

Anyway, bravery is family and war and glorious nature. It's wonderful.

My favorites in this collection were: Weston County, Early Spring; Southernmost Point; Sunday Pot Roast; Up Hell Canyon; Seal Beach; and Losing Time.

[Art Elser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poet Nicholas Trandahl, treats us to beautifully written vignettes of his life in a small town in the Thunder Basin in the northeast corner of Wyoming. If Ernest Hemingway were to write a book of contemporary poetry, I think it would read a lot like Bravery. Trandahl’s spare but lush, crisp lines carry their appointed weight in each poem.

Most poems are filled with a quiet energy, “Lakeside,” “Early Glories,” and the many in which we see Trandahl’s family surrounding him with love. Others show his love of nature, “Echoes In the High Canyon” with sentiments like “I found stillness // I found peace.” The imagery and clarity of his lines remind me of the images and poetry of Mary Oliver and Ted Kooser, poets I would imagine Trandahl has steeped himself in.

Trandahl at times hints at a darkness and pain from his time in the army, deployed to Qatar, but he also glories in the antidote to that darkness and pain, his love for his wife, joy in his daughters, and the healing effect of his time spent in nature. Scattered poems hint at these demons. Poems like “The Garishness of Predators” and “Breaking Rock in the Qatari Desert” in which “I dug myself a little bit closer / to the grey fault of doom”

But the light, energy, and pure joy in the poems about family, love, nature, solitude, mountains, clearly show a human who has managed those demons to let in the beauty surrounding him. Appropriately in “Whisky and Stone” we stand with Trandahl at Hemingway’s grave to leave a gift, a thanks for a spare, crisp, delightful poetic style.

[Dot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading poetry by Nicholas Trandahl is like a fine form of meditation. I pause and reflect and pay attention to life through his poems, feel my spirit boosted after reading them, then return to my own life with greater awareness and resilience. His previous two books (Pulling Words & Think of Me) are some of my favorites I keep going back to, and Bravery is an excellent follow up and addition to my collection.

[Julie Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetically captivating! Nicholas Trandahl has a way with words. His poetic stories capture both honesty and emotion. He writes from the heart.

[Tirza Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Nicholas Trandahl's collection of poetry is humble and unassuming in style. It suits the pioe smoking, nature loving person you meet on social media. And yet, there is a great sensitivity weaving through the undercurrents of his words, conveying a deep appreciation for the small things in life.

There are also political subjects addressed like Lenin and Franco. Nothing is inciting, however. This book feels like a soothing balm for the soul when you need to unwind after a day of stress immersed in ant-like crowds with people rushing around everywhere.

I love the author's observations of his environment, the natural surroundings, the people walking past. There is a quiet richness in this poetic collection that sneaks up on you almost unnoticed until, with a sigh of exhaling, tense muscles relax and you start to rearrange your priorities in life. The joy of the simple things.

Unsurprisingly, my two favourite poems were Happiness and Seal Beach.

However, they are only two examples of the lovely collection of Trandahl's poetry. You'll want to read this at the end of the day with a streaming cup of Earl Grey, laced with local honey, as the author likes to enjoy.

[Mandie Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember thinking this before when reading Nicholas Trandahl's poetry collections, he always manages to open them with a warm, inviting poem that quickly settles you into place. The opening poem in this collection is in fact called "Settle In." And Trandahl is masterful at making you feel welcome in his world of poetry.
Within just pages, Trandahl began reframing my understanding of bravery, gently broadening the scope of what that word encompasses.
A few of my favorite poems include "Baptism," "Garland of Stones," and "Labor Day." Beautiful collection.

[Jason Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took my time with this one. I wanted to soak in each poem. Beautifully written collection. Nicholas has a way of bringing you into his world. This work inspired me to try my own hand at poetry. His ability to paint a canvas of words on a page is a gift. Looking forward to reading his other works.