Desire and survival in the Age of AIDS. "In Cold River, Joan Larkin's poems move deeper than ever into grief and tenderness and praise, her own wild and quiet voice the embodiment of desire". — Jean Valentine "I return to Joan Larkin's poems again and again beacause I love their clarity, their revelatory strength, their allegiance to something like history and their great and surprising humor. But there is more. The poems in this little book that face AIDS are certainly some of the bravest and most eloquent ones on the subject". — Michael Klein — "I love Joan Larkin's poems, for their music, their tensile strength, their truthfulness, their clarity...". — Adrienne Rich The powerful poems of desire and survival in Joan Larkin's long-awaited third collection are remarkable for their honesty and memorable language. In Cold River, the prize-winning poet faces AIDS, loss, aging, and love between women with courage, depth, and wit.