“Lisa Knopp’s essays invite us to notice the things of daily life while pointing us to what shimmers just beyond our line of vision. Knopp is clear-eyed and reverent as she harnesses examples from art and etymology, memory studies and theology, to explore loss, aging, and the rich layers of human appetite. These essays embody the holy work of paying attention, of forging connection, and of letting go. A luminous, tender collection by a master of the form.”—Sonja Livingston, author of The Virgin of Prince Street

“You want to go deep into Lisa Knopp’s essays. They’re not meant for a quick read. Detail is all. Like the impressionists she refers to, each one is itself, often without need for a story. Yet the rich story of her life runs through like a stream—the death of a beloved cat, the death of parents, eating doves, the comfort of a giant sweet potato, consulting the almanac, finding a lost car. These beautifully written essays are a record of a life lived with sensitivity and wisdom. Her essay ‘Still Life with Peaches’ is a map for how to see, how to find words for close-seeing. I couldn’t put this book down.”—Fleda Brown, author of The End of the Clockwork Universe

“Ravelings beautifully knits together the complexities of the head, the entanglements of the heart, and the all-too-human hungers that hit us right in the gut. These essays delve into the rich contradictions of singleness and connection, balance and chance, fullness and lack—always with a sense of wonder and intellectual grace. Thoughtful, poignant, and beautifully written, this is a book I will return to again and again.”—Randon Billings Noble, author of Be with Me Always: Essays

“In this collection of virtuoso essays, Lisa Knopp puzzles and ravels topics ranging from encountering her mother’s dead body to dancing with a broom. The lowly sweet potato, the exalted peach, the art of Renoir and Lassnig, all warrant her probing consideration. The essay on a familiar feeling with the little-known name of velleity is one of many startling discoveries lifted from the ordinary. With every deep dive into these streams of her life, we vibrate like a tuning fork, resonating and enriching our understanding of the intricate balances and delicious contradictions of everyday life.”—Pamela Carter Joern, author of At the Corner of Past and Future: A Collection of Life Stories