In Natural Light is a new collection of the luminous poetry of Michael Anania. Long known for his ability to bring to life the sights, sounds, and rhythms of rural life on the Western plains, here Anania also explores the lives and cadences of big-city Chicago. This conjunction of the imagery of the city, governed by his midwestern sensibility, gives strength to the poems, as in "Eclogue"

". . . how sudden they seem / the gradual lives / of flowers, or the faces / you see in the brief light of a "B" stop / taking, as you always / do, the "A" train."

As in his early work, Anania shows great facility of imagery with his trademark lyric qualities. His depth of perspective and remarkable ear create a timeless collection of people and place.