Rooted in the landscape and culture of the Pacific Northwest, Jaech found formative literary influences in Mother Goose, Theodore Roethke, William Stafford, Nelson and Beth Bentley, David Wagoner, and Richard Hugo. As an heir to the legacies of Blake and Neruda, Jaech’s images remain near the borderland between the real and surreal and seek to reach beyond the commonplace and into the unforeseen. Drawing clarity from ambivalence, Harmony River is the culmination of years of dedication to writing and teaching poetry, and to the epiphanic grace of making art.
Stephen Jaech’s poems have appeared in College English, Poetry Northwest, Seattle Review, The Christian Science Monitor, among many other publications. As an award-winning writer and college educator, his publications include two chapbooks “Many Rooms” and “The Machine that Destroys Itself” in addition to a novel, King of Crows. He served as a guest columnist for the News Tribune and was included in the Washington Commission for the Humanities Inquiring Minds panel of speakers. Now retired from Pierce College, he lives in Steilacoom, Washington with his partner Kathrina.
Praise—
Readers and libraries seeking infusions of nature, human affairs, and the connections that lie between them, whether physical or emotional, will relish the opportunity to appreciate Harmony River. Steeped in literary tradition, influenced by other major poets, and delivered in an accessible free verse style designed to appeal to a wide audience, Harmony River stands head and shoulders above many other contemporary poetry collections with its special brand of nature-infused, thought-provoking inspections. -Diane Donovan, MIDWEST REVIEW, California Bookwatch; Donovan’s Literary Recommended Reading
There’s lots to laud in Harmony River, Stephen Jaech’s new poetry collection, but what engages me most is Jaech’s willingness to proffer an abundance of sensorial detail. In these expansive poems, the reader gets to “press a hand to the wound,” smell “wet wool and Bay Rum,” hear a goldfinch “thump against the window,” taste “silver salmon splayed and dripping fat into the flame.” In Harmony River, the reader doesn’t spectate; s/he participates. -Michael Darcher, Author of Odd Comfort and The Silver State Stories
Conifers, water, rocky landscape, and low light inhabit the outer and inner worlds of a Pacific Northwest poet. Stephen Jaech’s long-awaited collection has all that and more with “confluences, waves/ and wind channeling us/ on our brief passage.” Harmony River views with empathy and subtle wisdom the moments that make up that passage. Attention to the movement of words mirrors attention to details of environment and seasons. But grace and beauty can overlay pain—and life is full of pain in all its forms. Where there is loss or pain, however, there is also redemption found glancingly in a slant of light or the daily changes of “Today, a sweet magnolia, tomorrow a field of snow.” With apologies to Stephen, who is a private person, I must use this line from “The Gift of Music” to sum up the book: “the wonder comes out/ from the trembling of his heart.” -Sherry Rind, The Storehouse of Wonder and Astonishment
It took me two or three days to get past the first poem in Steve Jaech’s gem lode of a book. First, because the poem was a knock-out punch. Then, I had to sit back and absorb, to read random lines and savor parts of the original experience. Finally, I just wanted to read again and live the poem. “It is/ an unlatched gate you enter and find/ a recognizable cobblestone path/ and a familiar porch where you/ are always welcome and where/ the door opens before you knock.” So it is with Harmony River: enter and live. -James Cervantes, author of From Mr. Bondo’s Unshared Life and Sleepwalker’s Songs: New & Selected Poems
5 Stars, Harmony River is a beautifully crafted and emotionally resonant work that will appeal to lovers of poetry, nature writing, and reflective prose. It’s the kind of book best read slowly, with time to savor each image and thought. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys being swept up in the quiet, powerful currents of life’s joys and sorrows. -Prisilla Evans, Managing Editor, Library Titan
Harmony River is a poetry collection gleaned from the culture and wilderness of the Pacific Northwest and its major poetic influencers. Stephen Jaech’s efforts are steeped in the literary traditions of such names as Theodore Roethke and Pablo Neruda. These roots come to light through poetry that vividly embraces nature and philosophical reflection while paying subtle tribute to these literary predecessors. One example lies in the poem opening the collection, “Enduring Grace”:
Before words appeared on vellum,
before moonlight shone on river ripples,
before hoofprints tamped tracks on mudflats where deltas
adjoined seas, even before chants
rose from clans squatting
near driftwood bonfires,
it lay dormant like bone marrow stem …
The free verse creates intricate connections between nature and human affairs in a manner that will simply delight creative writing teachers, fellow poets, and literature students seeking contemporary poetry collections that represent the intersection of natural history and human affairs. Jaech is especially adept at capturing moments in time and experience, as in “Deep Darkness Grows Darker”:
End of a rural road, close to an abandoned
cowshed, I duck through a gap in barbed
wire and walk across windswept fields.
On grazing land, miles from city lights
and ballparks, beyond up-lit billboards,
I merge with a pasture and a sweep of sky.
These “you are here” creations are powerful observations which also juxtapose human and natural abodes in an intriguing style, as in “Other Side of the Door,” where:
This atrium swallows sound.
Scuffed by generations of foot-
steps, the oak flooring reflects
a tinge of pewter light winnowing
through a frosted glass transom,
crescent moon, above an ironwood door.
What’s on the other side?
Readers and libraries seeking infusions of nature, human affairs, and the connections that lie between them, whether physical or emotional, will relish the opportunity to appreciate Harmony River. Steeped in literary tradition, influenced by other major poets, and delivered in an accessible free verse style designed to appeal to a wide audience, Harmony River stands head and shoulders above many other contemporary poetry collections with its special brand of nature-infused, thought-provoking inspections.
Prisilla Evans, Managing Editor, Library Titan –
Stephen Jaech’s Harmony River is a heartfelt collection of poetry that immerses the reader in the rhythm of nature, memory, and human emotion. Rooted in the evocative landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, the poems weave vivid imagery with introspective musings. Themes of loss, redemption, and the passage of time are explored through moments that feel both deeply personal and universally relatable. Whether he’s describing a goldfinch thumping against a window or the shimmer of moonlight over a quiet river, Jaech creates an atmosphere where every line invites participation, not just observation.
The poem “Enduring Grace” opens with a poignant image: “It is an unlatched gate you enter and find / a recognizable cobblestone path.” This line transported me instantly to a space of nostalgia and warmth, yet it also left room for introspection. Similarly, “Harmony River” pulses with the wild yet serene energy of the natural world, where a salmon’s fight against the current becomes a metaphor for resilience. Jaech’s ability to layer meaning into simple observations is captivating; it made me pause and reread passages just to soak in the depth.
The shadow of grief and the ache of lost connections loom over many poems, such as “Dark Houses,” where abandoned homes become symbols of forgotten lives. Jaech’s poem “The Gift of Music” brought tears to my eyes as it described the transformative power of art with lines like, “The wonder comes out / from the trembling of his heart.” It’s rare for poetry to feel this raw and this hopeful at the same time, and Jaech balances these contrasts masterfully.
One of the delights of this collection is how it revisits familiar thematic ground with a sense of depth and reflection. Poems like “Gathering” and “Wind Telephone” build on recurring motifs, offering the reader a chance to immerse even further in Jaech’s contemplative world. These moments reinforce the collection’s cohesiveness and highlight Jaech’s gift for language. His vivid descriptions, the frailty of an angelfish in a waiting room or a lone telephone that lets you speak with the dead, are striking and linger long after you turn the page.
Harmony River is a beautifully crafted and emotionally resonant work that will appeal to lovers of poetry, nature writing, and reflective prose. It’s the kind of book best read slowly, with time to savor each image and thought. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys being swept up in the quiet, powerful currents of life’s joys and sorrows.
Diane Donovan, MIDWEST REVIEW, California Bookwatch; Donovan’s Literary Recommended Reading –
Midwest Review, 2025—
Harmony River is a poetry collection gleaned from the culture and wilderness of the Pacific Northwest and its major poetic influencers. Stephen Jaech’s efforts are steeped in the literary traditions of such names as Theodore Roethke and Pablo Neruda. These roots come to light through poetry that vividly embraces nature and philosophical reflection while paying subtle tribute to these literary predecessors. One example lies in the poem opening the collection, “Enduring Grace”:
Before words appeared on vellum,
before moonlight shone on river ripples,
before hoofprints tamped tracks on mudflats where deltas
adjoined seas, even before chants
rose from clans squatting
near driftwood bonfires,
it lay dormant like bone marrow stem …
The free verse creates intricate connections between nature and human affairs in a manner that will simply delight creative writing teachers, fellow poets, and literature students seeking contemporary poetry collections that represent the intersection of natural history and human affairs. Jaech is especially adept at capturing moments in time and experience, as in “Deep Darkness Grows Darker”:
End of a rural road, close to an abandoned
cowshed, I duck through a gap in barbed
wire and walk across windswept fields.
On grazing land, miles from city lights
and ballparks, beyond up-lit billboards,
I merge with a pasture and a sweep of sky.
These “you are here” creations are powerful observations which also juxtapose human and natural abodes in an intriguing style, as in “Other Side of the Door,” where:
This atrium swallows sound.
Scuffed by generations of foot-
steps, the oak flooring reflects
a tinge of pewter light winnowing
through a frosted glass transom,
crescent moon, above an ironwood door.
What’s on the other side?
Readers and libraries seeking infusions of nature, human affairs, and the connections that lie between them, whether physical or emotional, will relish the opportunity to appreciate Harmony River. Steeped in literary tradition, influenced by other major poets, and delivered in an accessible free verse style designed to appeal to a wide audience, Harmony River stands head and shoulders above many other contemporary poetry collections with its special brand of nature-infused, thought-provoking inspections.
Prisilla Evans, Managing Editor, Library Titan –
Stephen Jaech’s Harmony River is a heartfelt collection of poetry that immerses the reader in the rhythm of nature, memory, and human emotion. Rooted in the evocative landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, the poems weave vivid imagery with introspective musings. Themes of loss, redemption, and the passage of time are explored through moments that feel both deeply personal and universally relatable. Whether he’s describing a goldfinch thumping against a window or the shimmer of moonlight over a quiet river, Jaech creates an atmosphere where every line invites participation, not just observation.
The poem “Enduring Grace” opens with a poignant image: “It is an unlatched gate you enter and find / a recognizable cobblestone path.” This line transported me instantly to a space of nostalgia and warmth, yet it also left room for introspection. Similarly, “Harmony River” pulses with the wild yet serene energy of the natural world, where a salmon’s fight against the current becomes a metaphor for resilience. Jaech’s ability to layer meaning into simple observations is captivating; it made me pause and reread passages just to soak in the depth.
The shadow of grief and the ache of lost connections loom over many poems, such as “Dark Houses,” where abandoned homes become symbols of forgotten lives. Jaech’s poem “The Gift of Music” brought tears to my eyes as it described the transformative power of art with lines like, “The wonder comes out / from the trembling of his heart.” It’s rare for poetry to feel this raw and this hopeful at the same time, and Jaech balances these contrasts masterfully.
One of the delights of this collection is how it revisits familiar thematic ground with a sense of depth and reflection. Poems like “Gathering” and “Wind Telephone” build on recurring motifs, offering the reader a chance to immerse even further in Jaech’s contemplative world. These moments reinforce the collection’s cohesiveness and highlight Jaech’s gift for language. His vivid descriptions, the frailty of an angelfish in a waiting room or a lone telephone that lets you speak with the dead, are striking and linger long after you turn the page.
Harmony River is a beautifully crafted and emotionally resonant work that will appeal to lovers of poetry, nature writing, and reflective prose. It’s the kind of book best read slowly, with time to savor each image and thought. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys being swept up in the quiet, powerful currents of life’s joys and sorrows.