Winter Spirit is a collection of photographs and poems honoring the power and beauty of the winter season. This book was created for two audiences: the general reader wishing to deepen his or her appreciation for winter as a season of the year; and the reader with a special interest in photography and poetry as artistic tools promoting inspiration, insight, and healing. Chapter VI will be of special interest to this second audience.

All of the photographs in this book were created by me in Northeast Ohio, showing off nature's winter artwork in places such as The Holden Arboretum, Cleveland Metroparks, Geauga County's Amish Country, Lake Metroparks, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Downtown Cleveland, and along the shores of Lake Erie.

Many of the poems found in this book relate directly to the photographs, while others speak to the symbolism of winter and what it represents to the human experience in psychological and spiritual terms. The book combines my own poetry and the poems of several famous early poets, including Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, James Kavanaugh, William Shakespeare, Wallace Stevens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edward Thomas, and W. B. Yeats.

Winter Spirit has been an artistic and learning journey for me. I hope this book adds to your appreciation for the winter season, and that its images and poems touch you deeply.