James Janko has been awarded a number of honors as a novelist, including the AWP Award for the Novel. is his first book of poetry. Albert deGenova, Executive Director of Write On Door County, Publisher and Editor of Magazine, an award-winning poet, publisher, teacher, and blues saxophonist, said in a review that "With his poetry collection , James Janko weaves metaphor and imagery into a poetry that sings both joyous and sad songs but insists on reminding the reader of the spiritual, life-affirming connection between our "selves," the things we touch, and the world around us. For Janko the wind and sea are as one with the human heart and soul." The poet Standing Feather said about this collection of Janko's work, "Much like the process of the archetypal hermit, James Janko's poetry encourages us to descend the often damp, dark stairs of human reasoning. When we reach the bottom, he gently guides us into a private and sacred holding space, where we learn to honor the deepest parts of ourselves, and in turn, learn to rise and illuminate a shining path of compassion for the world to traverse." A Viet Nam veteran who served as a medic because he refused to carry a gun, he was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and a Purple Heart. He gave both medals away to Vietnamese harmed by the war after the finish of the war.