Every Grain of Sand

Book excerpt: Spanning decades of writing, Justin Scribner's every grain of sand feels more expansive than a debut collection. A beautifully woven hybrid work, every grain of sand offers a mix of narrative poems, poetic stories, and modern haiku in which profound moments interlace with poignant humor. Scribner's writing is deeply rooted in contemporary experience, forward-thinking in its understanding of human nature, and unpredictable in its form. The collection builds momentum through small truths which reveal a poet wrestling with deep emotions around the trivial and sometimes perilous wrong turns we make. Through many voices, Scribner maintains an uncanny ability to weave genuine light through each new speaker, allowing us to traverse many lives by the close of the collection. The poems and short stories in every grain of sand remind us to be present to little moments of stillness while lifting our eyes to the awareness of how those moments knit together into the greater picture.