This book is fabulous. The drawings weren't as much of a focus as I thought they would be. The prose and poetry are the stars here. I've been looking for books written by Indigenous voices and this is a standout.

This was a short and beautiful read. I went in with no specific expectations and really appreciated the format, and the way each poem drew me in. The whole book was very approachable, and I don't think you have to be a "poetry person" to enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for a copy of “Dream Drawings” in exchange for an honest review!

This poetry collection is on par with what N. Scott Momaday has released previously, though it does have a unique and fresh approach. He is consistent with his preference for prose poems, as most of these poems are, and it works as his signature style. It is a very quick read with each poem giving you a story, and an inkling of knowledge that he has to share.

What I liked about this collection was the storytelling that connects people and nature, as well as dreams and storytelling in itself. I don’t think everyone will appreciate this type of poetry (because not everyone is consistent in their feelings on any type of writing in the first place) but I know this collection will speak to the hearts of plenty of people.

As far as a collection goes, I have marked the most poems at once that I enjoyed than I have for any other collection I have read. And I’m a frequent poetry reader. I really liked “The Shadow of a Name,” “Ownership,” “Dreaming Bear Speaks,” “The Hollow Log,” “In the Telling,” “Passage,” and “The Burning.” All of these poems spoke to me or made me stop and think instead of moving along to the following page/poem.

As for why I did not give a full five stars, I am not so fond of prose poems unless there is a lot of alliteration/half-rhymes/etc. I like the context/stories of the poems but often felt like musings rather than poems to me. It is a non-issue for me because, at the end of the day, I enjoyed the poems, just only wanted to note that.

There is powerful magic in "Dream Drawings: Configurations of a Timeless Kind,” a sphere where author N. Scott Momaday weaves dreams, imagination and language to conjure up a potent vision of life. Here are written sketches of dreams and the significance they hold for us. The poetic essays draw from the author's Native American perspective, but run the gamut from our kindred bear spirits to King Philip of Macedonia and his son Alexander. Georgia O'Keefe and Tolstoy make cameos... but those bears seem to shine best. There are moving meditations on mortality, on the nature of time, and of man's role in the world. We have parables and myths and the supernatural all eliminating the distinction between the imagined and the real.

Despite never having developed an adequate appreciation for poetry I was still immediately immersed and felt connected in this world. Passages became underlined, sections to be visited again-- until it was evident there were more lines highlighted than not. I can envision having a beat up copy of this book on me to pull out and reflect on. One favorite is "Ownership." Two men discuss the breathtaking beauty of the canyon they are in and one remarks, "It belongs to me, I don’t own it, but it’s mine.” The other man understands. "True ownership does not consist in titles and deeds. It is assumed by a claim made in the heart, and it is purchased with love and respect. The cliff is his, as it is mine."

Again, I am so impressed by this work that I could just copy out selection after selection. N. Scott Momaday has a true power to spill these ideas onto the page. His intention, quoted in the Preface: "Language and the imagination work hand in hand, and together they enable us to reveal us to ourselves in story. That is indeed a magical process, and it is the foundation of art and literature. We imagine and we dream, and we translate our dreams into language. This book is an enactment of that creative process. It is a celebration of words for their own sake."

Momaday won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969 for his novel "House Made of Dawn," a book often credited with starting the Native American Renaissance. I have ordered a copy and am excited to further explore this man's vision. There are rare times to celebrate the personal discovery of an artist who has been out there all along and I consider myself incredibly fortunate to add this man's gifts to my awareness.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, NetGalley, and N. Scott Momaday for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #DreamDrawings #NetGalley. @NSMomaday @HarperPerennial

"IN THE TELLING The story does not end. Rather it revolves on a wheel of telling. It begins again. That is the way of story and storytelling; it is an endless way. In like manner, dreams do not end. They dissolve into infinite possibility. The story and the dream cannot be told apart." -- N. Scott Momaday

Atmospheric poems and stories from a Pulitzer Prize winning Native American author. This storyteller speaks of the land; animals; spirits and souls; nature; the sun; the moon; and the stars; fluidity of time - time that was, and time that is to come. A quick and treasured read from a skilled word Master!

My thanks to Harper Perennial for permitting me to access an e-copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

**Thanks to NetGalley, N. Scott Momaday, and Harper Perennial for this ARC**

We roll on wheels of words and dreams

Dream Drawings: Configurations of a Timeless Kind by N. Scott Momaday is a gorgeous collection of poetry that honor the power of words to tell stories, paint pictures, and create dreams. An homage to storytelling, this collection covers a variety of topics with a commitment to honoring the power of language to create or reveal what is.

N. Scott Momaday concludes this collection with the reflection:

I have suggested elsewhere that there is only one story, that it is timeless and universal, and that it is composed of many stories in the one. That is true, I believe, and here are fragments of the original story, that which is told in the landscape of words and dreams.

It was a pleasure and a gift to read these fragments of the original story. I feel as though I glimpsed brief moments of light flashing off the facets of the whole. A gorgeous read.

It’s National Poetry Month in the U.S. I do not gravitate towards poetry naturally, but over the past 9 years of homeschooling, I have learned to appreciate. It was not taught well to me in school so I was very intimidated to read it. While I know my education is still lacking in the art form, I’m no longer scared to dive in to a poetry collection.

In Dream Drawings, Momaday draws on his Native American heritage to give us 100 poems about everything from memory and aging to nature. There are also some sketches scattered throughout the collection.

Normally, I don't read poetry but this collection of poems was one of the best that I read in my life. I'm glad that NetGalley introduced me to this poet and I hope to read more poems about life, traveling, grief, and anything else from her in the future.

In Dream Drawings N. Scott Momaday provides small meditations on the mythic, the fantastical, and the every day. From allusions to classical literature and King Arthur to Kiowa traditions and musings on dreams, Momaday tells stories that transport the reader to different worlds and different times. Momaday's sketches are similar to his poems in the way they give an outline of a story, but leave enough in shadow for the reader to imagine more.