Under the Influence of Water: Poems, Essays, and Stories

Although the theme is fly fishing, this book is really about the more esoteric, spiritual aspects of fishing. Through his poetry, essays, and short fiction, Delp writes about being haunted by fishing, about being taken over, literally, by the desire to fish and spend time alone on trout streams. He describes the experience as "a pause, a deep breath in the crush of living. It seems incredibly simple, yet trout fishing illuminates an inner life, asks the mind and body to give themselves over to another power:

Under the Influence of Water is about moments-how time goes away on a river. It's about waking up and finding out that what runs in your veins is river water mixed with blood. It's also about trying to find the courage to one day stand in a river and admit your life. Delp says that's what happens when you fly fish . . . you get your life back, if only for a few moments. When you go back to your other life, the river is still with you. Ifit's not, then you haven't really been on a river.

Author: Michael Delp
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Published: 07/01/1992
Pages: 96
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.39lbs
Size: 9.02h x 5.56w x 0.32d
ISBN: 9780814323915

About the Author
Michael Delp is the director of creative writing at Interlochen Arts Academy. His work has appeared in national publications such as Playboy, The Flyfisher, and Detroit Magazine. He is the author of several books including A Memory of Flesh Sticking to Bone, A Dream of the Resurrection, and Over the Graves of Horses.