A lifetime of privately written poetry processing whirlwinds of passion, echo chambers of darkness, paeans to childhood and motherhood, and exaltation of the natural world, all these and more appear in “Ashes for the Unexpected”. Norma Auer Adams, by profession a visual artist, has been able to transfer her keen sense of observation and dedication to nature into poems that touch on every aspect of her life, from love affairs to disappointment and despair, paired with the glory she’s always found in the world around her. These are poems that display an honesty and intimacy about sixty years of deeply personal matters for Ms. Adams, thoughts she couldn’t express through painting. For these, Ms. Adams turned to poetry, a format attuned to explorations of profound life experience while flirting with universal perspectives.