River of Wanting

About the Book

Set in cities and landscapes across three continents, River of Wanting is a remarkable and often controversial collection of poetry-uniting to tell a story of cruelty and kindness, brutality and healing, among fathers, sons, lovers and strangers.

Here we meet a cast of far-flung characters drawn together through chance encounters and relationships, and we are allowed the time to link their stories in surprising ways, across several generations.

There is Luke, the mercenary soldier; Tom, the sole survivor of an avalanche; Cassandra, blind and beautiful; Mireille, a Parisian model and addict; Ella, bent on avenging a violent attack; and Yuri Moore, who provides them a home, who grows new families out of soil.

In the end, we are lifted by the voices of those who have found hope and a measure of peace within the chaos of their world.

Tucker brings his characters to life always in unexpected ways and holds them there for us to embrace or reject. These are poems, but they are also life stories, told in plain English, with razor-sharp language that cuts deep and lays bare the essential question: Can we cross this river of wanting alive?

About the Author

Scott Tucker was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1958, and grew up in Montana. He has worked as a journalist, insurance manager, litigator, writing instructor, bartender, tennis pro, waiter, and hotel maid. He moved to Seattle in 1983, where he still lives. He has two sons.