About Richard
Baldo's Debut Collection Is Here
Richard Baldo knows that poetry is not therapy; therapy is therapy. But poetry can be therapeutic, and Baldo is writing poems of experience that take us along on his journey of compassionate care for those who need it most, and most of us need it more than we know. These are poems from a mature and astute observer of what being human means.
Gailmarie Pahmeier, Poet Laureate of Nevada 2022-2024. Author of House on Breakaheart Road, and Of Bone, of Ash, of Ordinary Saints: A Nevada Gospel.
Background
Richard Baldo was born and raised in northern New Jersey. He earned his B.A. in psychology at Trenton State College in 1971 and worked for two years at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital as a Psychiatric Nursing Technician. He then earned his M.S. in Clinical Psychology in 1975 from the University of Idaho. After working for six years as a master’s level clinical psychologist in rural Nevada and Upstate New York, he attended the University of Nevada, Reno, to earn his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 1986. He worked in private practice with offices in South Lake Tahoe, CA and Reno and retired from his clinical practice in 2022. He met his wife, Natalia, during a trip to Belarus in 2002. He is currently an MFA student in the University of Nevada, Reno's Creative Writing Department.
Debut Poetry Collection Available Now At Zeitgeist Press
Learning to Walk on Quicksand:
A Memoir in Strophe
Richard's Poetry
The magic of therapy lies not only in the science but in the art of the practice. Dr. Baldo shares his decades of experience with empathy and wisdom. The dance between patient and therapist (between person and life) cannot be captured by a pre-written or replicable protocol – it can, however, be known through words, tones, and metaphors
The magic of therapy lies not only in the science but in the art of the practice. Dr. Baldo shares his decades of experience with empathy and wisdom. The dance between patient and therapist (between person and life) cannot be captured by a pre-written or replicable protocol – it can, however, be known through words, tones, and metaphors as expressed through poetry. This is the landscape Dr. Baldo explores - drawing us into not only his life and career but also his deep understanding and compassion for the exquisite edges where we meet life and each other – a little less alone when we leave feeling seen and known.
Laura V. Drucker, Psy.D.
Nevada Licensed Psychologist
There’s a generosity and depth of spirit to the poems in Richard Baldo’s debut collection. His is a lifetime of stories, both collective and deeply personal. Though many of these poems are painful and sharply tragic, Baldo has a careful ear tuned over decades of listening and trying to understand that allows him to find luminous moments
There’s a generosity and depth of spirit to the poems in Richard Baldo’s debut collection. His is a lifetime of stories, both collective and deeply personal. Though many of these poems are painful and sharply tragic, Baldo has a careful ear tuned over decades of listening and trying to understand that allows him to find luminous moments in the most unexpected situations. As the title suggests, this is a book that reminds us learning is an ongoing treacherous process, and I’m grateful to have this fine poet as a guide.
Jared Stanley, Assistant Professor
University of Nevada, Reno. Author of Tough, Ears