From the country scenes of the poet's childhood to missives penned in the classroom where he served for many years, the poems in Larry Beckett's debut collection, At Some Time in My Life, sing with pride and prophecy. Whether fondly remembering his grandmother's Sunday table; addressing his former teaching colleagues; or decrying the atrocities of slavery and systemic racial injustice with the repeated declaration, "Call me by my name!," Beckett honors the struggles of his ancestors and calls upon the next generation of Americans to hold fast to the dream of liberty and justice for all. In verse that recalls Walt Whitman's optimism and Langston Hughes's musicality and keen political critique, Beckett reminds his readers once and for all that hope is the ultimate "builder / of the ruins left behind."