In this sensitive collection of poetry and prose, the essence of the
writer's life is revealed. This is not a biography based on dates and
events. Chronology is here measured by a man's inner growth, by the
things he holds most dear. We are told of the attitudes, ideals, hopes,
and dreams that make Dean Nichols unique and lend depth and power to his
poetry. Drawing upon personal experience, as all poets must, Mr. Nichols
admits us into a world that is enveloped with love. We feel it in tender
notes to a friend, in brief phrases expressing his awe of nature and
love of God, in lines that illumine his deepest feelings for his family,
and in images that reflect his deepest understanding and most soaring
aspirations. Many of the pieces in 'A Poet's Sketch of His Biography'
are devoted to the author's beloved Alaska - the people, the harsh and
beautiful land, and the sense of raw power and urgency in this pioneer
state. He writes of the fishermen of Cordova, of the FAA air-controllers
working a vast area of wilderness, of the warmth of home, of love. In
his previous book, Dean Nichols told us that he would invite no one to
share the mainland of his life; rather, he shared with us a few islands
of his experience - a glimpse of an untraveled world. That his world has
grown since he wrote those words is happily apparent in 'A Poet's Sketch
of His Biography'.
