I was impressed first of all by the humanity of Justin Spring's work, his common touch and his involvement with the world of his poetry. His work not only tells the remarkable stories of unremarkable people, but it also tells the story of a poetic consciousness brought into ordinary circumstances. His stories take place in bars and country churches populated by the people of the neighborhood, full-fleshed and passionate.
His work is exemplary in its clarity and powerful in its implications, but if there is one superlative that best describes Mr. Spring and his work, it is extreme ease and friendliness. He writes poems that lure you in and surround you with people you suddenly realize you have known all your life, but whom you have never seen in this light before.
Robert Bixby