The WAYS WE TOUCH

      Includes         "Of History and Hope,"         the 1997 Presidential Inaugural Poem       When Miller Williams         read his Inaugural Poem, "Of History and Hope," to a world-wide         audience in January, his proverbial "fifteen minutes of fame"         lasted far less--somewhere between three and four minutes. That was long         enough to make a big impact on many. Said poet Paul Zimmer, one of the         millions in his viewing audience, "I came up out of my Lazy-Boy and         cheered loudly!"       Williams is an         American original whose poems have been praised for both the elegance         of their style and the simplicity of their language, for their wonderful         humor and genuine passion. The works in his newest collection, The         Ways We Touch, may be nostalgic or challenging, humorous or full of         moral fortitude; always Williams speaks with the kind of insight that         rises from wisdom and experience.       Praise for Williams's         earlier work:       "Miller         Williams is one of those writers whose books drag me snorkeling happily         along. Happy as a pig among truffles, I hurry to the next treasure."         -- William Stafford       "Most contemporary         poets might well go to him for lessons in the art of speaking plainly         in disciplined lines alive with emotional energy." -- X. J. Kennedy       "Better         than almost anything else being published." -- Donald Justice