Book Review
Some Grand Dust
Poems by William Minor
Review by Dan Miller
The Pacific Grove Press; Tuesday, March 4, 2003
MAJOR WORK BY MINOR
It is with some trepidation that I write this review. When we here at The Pacific Grove Press volunteered to accept submissions from local writers to review their works among these pages, I wasn't prepared for the first book that came over the transom.
Some 17-plus years ago, I was a student at Monterey Peninsula College trying to decide what to do with my life, debating whether I was going to major in economics or English, and taking a great many classes in both. In the end, I decided on whiling away too many years involved in various aspects of the music business and toiling in obscurity in the movie industry.
One of the motivating factors in the path I took was a professor who taught a number of English classes I attended at MFC including poetry, American comedy and humor, and rock lyrics. I even took to writing poetry, which usually took on the form of rock lyrics that were sometimes humorous; so was the influence of my mentor. The teacher of those classes, he who encouraged my pursuit of a life in the arts and is probably the only person who will mark up this review in red pencil while they read it, is the author of Some Grand Dust, William Minor.
In addition to teaching at MPC, from where he has since retired, Bill Minor has established himself as one of the foremost writers on jazz. His writings on jazz are highlighted by the books Unzipped Souls: A Jazz Journey Through the Soviet Union (Temple University Press) and Monterey Jazz Festival: Forty Legendary Years (Angel City Press). He most recently finished The Heart Within: Jazz Journeys to Japan, but in Some Grand Dust, Minor leaves no doubt that his love for jazz is surpassed by his love for Betty, his wife of almost 40 years.
The two poem cycles contained within Some Grand Dust are very distinct. "Our Peasant Life," which chronicles Bill's life with Betty from its first days, is lyrical, touching, and often humorous. Their life is laid bare for all to see, and the love that always prevails in the words of its 42 parts is endearing. I would go so far as to say that this could be a textbook for how love should be. For those not in a relationship, it will make you long for one as good. For those of you who recognize your own relationship, you will be delighted and experience a sense of bonding with the author. You will be comforted in knowing that everyday life intrudes in even the best of relationships.
Then there's "Moker." While "Our Peasant Life" will put a smile on your face from beginning to end, the second poem cycle emphasizes just how miserable life can be when there isn't someone to share it with. The world of Moker is dark. In the course of his life he divorces and, while Minor has two sons in real life, Moker creates an imaginary daughter to help him get through his day. Moker is Minor's alter ego; it is what he could be without Betty, and the juxtaposition with the first cycle is magnificent.
This is a nice rainy day read and a book you will want to gift to those you love, those you wish would love you, and those you want to show how their life will be because they gave up on their relationship with you. Whether they like poetry doesn't matter. This book reads like a short story. It is an education and creates an appreciation of just how well poetry can be done.
Bill Minor, you may truthfully have reached the pinnacle of your craft with this work. It is often said by too many English professors, "write what you know." You have shown that you know the subject of Some Grand Dust very well. Kudos to you on a job well done. I give you an A+ on your work, and I want you to realize that I don't give grades like this lightly.
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