Dancing Backwards in Texas is as various in subject matter as it is in tonal nuance. By turns poignant, philosophical, reflective, rowdy, and erotic, Williams' poems capture not only the flora, fauna and denizens of her beloved West Texas but also the vast and treacherous regions of the human heart. What really stands out in the collection, however, is the enchanting musicality of her poetic diction. In poem after poem and line after line, Williams "beats time to Mozart."
Larry D. Thomas, Member, Texas Institute of Letters, 2008 Texas Poet Laureate
Lean into these poems as you would a warm West Texas wind, a cool creek watched by a naked moon; hear the rattlers off in the mesquite, the coyotes on the ridge, the lovers in the bed of that pickup bathed in a sweat older than song; catch the whispers in the cafes, the music blaring from the bars, the holy shouts of a woman who has a keener eye for truth than a Harris’s hawk—welcome Connie Williams, a poet who sees the whole round in the proud beauty of all things
— Ric Williams, author of the award-winning book of poetry the secret book of god and the novel The Woman in Tower: Stories for the Wounded Child.
Connie Williams writes with a lilt, a rhythm, and a clash of all together--until the fallout evolves into concluded thoughtfulness of the who, what, when, and why. Her imagery leaves nothing in doubt because her words reflect the true images of the world she describes. She is a master of contrasts and human passion and her work will place Dancing Backwards in Texas with any tall Texas cowboy that ever was in the saddle.
Peggy Zuleika Lynch, Founder Poetry in the Arts
Connie William's poetry is a fine distillation of Texas wind singing through canyons and caprock, wild rain clouds crackling with lightning and sweet cowgirl hymns. Whether it is her numinous descriptions of a West that was or is, her voice always rings true.This collection makes you want to pull on your boots, grab your Stetson and do a little backward dancing yourself!
Deb Akers, managing editor of Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review
