Reading Wind by Carol Barrett, Reviewed by John Martin
Reviewed by John Martin Reading Wind by Carol Barrett The Poetry Box, 2024, 49 pages, $14.00 ISBN 978-1-956285-51-2 https://thepoetrybox.com/bookstore/reading-wind So many of the poems that I read these days–including my own–are looking for their reason to be, trying to figure out what and why they are, hoping to make some meaning through the act […]
Jacob’s Ladder by Rachel Barton, Reviewed by Dale Champlin
Reviewed by Dale Champlin Jacob’s Ladder by Rachel Barton Main Street Rag Publishing Company, 2024, $18.00 ISBN 978-1-59948-992-6 Available at https://mainstreetragbookstore.com/product/jacobs-ladder-rachel-barton/ The poetry in Rachel Barton’s latest book, Jacob’s Ladder, takes the reader, rung-by-rung, up into a not-so-everyday world of wonder. It’s as if the poet views even the most mundane as an opportunity […]
The Ferry Keeper by Judith H. Montgomery, Reviewed by Carol Barrett
Reviewed by Carol Barrett The Ferry Keeper by Judith H. Montgomery Grayson Books, 2024, 43 pages, $12.00 ISBN 979-8-9888186-9-4 Available at https://graysonbooks.com Judith H. Montgomery’s latest collection, The Ferry Keeper, opens with a stunning metaphor that enlightens the entire volume. The poet’s body becomes a ferry transporting loved ones to the other side of this […]
Noble Scratch, Roughly Spoken by Brad Winter and Laura Winter, Reviewed by Ce Rosenow
Reviewed by Ce Rosenow Noble Scratch, Roughly Spoken by Brad Winter and Laura Winter As If Press, 2024, 60 pages Limited edition: 150 copies numbered Order from the authors at [email protected]. Finally! That was my response when I learned Brad and Laura were collaborating on a book. I’ve known the Winters since the mid-90s, and […]
The Last Hippy Poet of the Woodstock Generation by C. Steven Blue, Reviewed by Shirley Marc
Reviewed by Shirley Marc The Last Hippy Poet of the Woodstock Generation, a psychedelic memoir and narrative verse by C. Steven Blue Sunset West Publishing Group, 2023, 642 pages, $24.99 ISBN 978-0997997507 Available at: amazon.com Facebook author page: www.facebook.com/cstevenbluepoet Amazon author page: amazon.com/author/cstevenblue C. Steven Blue’s The Last Hippy Poet of the Woodstock Generation is […]
My Kindred by Paulann Petersen, Reviewed by Melody Wilson
Reviewed by Melody Wilson My Kindred by Paulann Petersen Salmon Poetry, 2023 Available: Powell’s Books, Broadway Books, Annie Bloom’s Books, Amazon Paulann Petersen’s My Kindred might seem to be about family, but it’s much more. The book invites us into a much broader exploration. The first poem, “Inhabited,” teaches us how to read the book […]
Ramadan in Summer by Bruce Parker, reviewed by Melody Wilson
Finishing Line Press, 2021, 42 pages $14.99 ISBN 978-1646627240 Available at Amazon Bruce Parker’s Ramadan in Summer transports us to physical and emotional places with spare authenticity. The first example is in the title poem, “Ramadan in Summer,” when the speaker watches a worker listlessly picking things up and putting them down on the fourth floor of an unfinished apartment […]
Small Matters Mean the World by David Memmott
reviewed by George Vennredbat books, 2022, 73 pages, $16ISBN 978-1-946970-08-4Available at www.redbatbooks.com, Ingram, Bookshop.org, Amazon.com, Powells.com To appreciate David Memmott’s achievement in Small Matters Mean the World (2022), readers might start with the front cover. Memmott’s colorful digital collage suggests a kaleidoscope preparing the reader to celebrate and explore the magic of natural, organic, and […]
The ground at my feet: Sustaining a family and a forest
by Ann Stinson Reviewed by Melody Wilson Oregon State University Press, 2021, 144 pages, $21.95 ISBN-13978-0870711466 Available at Annie Bloom’s and Broadway Books When I say I love a book, maybe I mean it meets my expectations or it’s better than other books I’ve read. Maybe I mean I learned a lot without working too […]