<p>In Catching Light, Kathryn Stripling Byer searches for the language of aging, for a way of confronting every woman&#39;s fear of looking in the mirror and seeing an old woman staring back. Inspired by a series of photographs entitled 'Evelyn' -- which depicts a former artist&#39;s model in her declining years, still full of life and facing death with flair and wit -- Byer finds a voice to contemplate the enigmatic but inevitable process of growing old.</p><p>Byer opens her book with a ten-poem sequence, In the Photograph Gallery. '&#39;Who is she?&#39; / a child hanging on to her mother&#39;s skirt / asks, as if she is frightened / by what she sees. &#39;Just a little old lady, &#39; / her mother soothes / &#39;That&#39;s all she is.&#39;' By placing Evelyn herself in the gallery to respond to the photos, and hear that exchange, Byer opens the door into the inner life of this 'little old lady.'</p><p>Part Two moves into more personal, mythological territory as the images of Evelyn and the poet&#39;s own recollections coalesce. The final section draws closer to Evelyn&#39;s dark hour, her humor in the face of death, her memories, her acknowledgment of her sexuality, her letting go.</p><p>Catching Light is a profound inquiry into aging and how one remarkable woman faces it, sings to it, mocks it, rebels against it, and ultimately embraces it.</p>