Review: Handful of Memories by Robert A. Cozzi
In Handful of Memories, Robert A. Cozzi continues his exploration of themes that frequent his work, particularly in regards to romantic, platonic, and familial love, about which he is a sincere and passionate writer. The book gathers together both poetry and prose from the period between the release of his first collection, Tide Pool of Words, and his most recent collection, Blanket of Hearts, making for an ambitious and affecting trilogy.
As with his other collections, Cozzi demonstrates his talent through a simple poetic style with short, sweet lines and sentences with the intention of evoking […]
In Blanket of Hearts, poet Robert A. Cozzi explores themes of love and memory and the bittersweet nexus of the two when a union ends. He captures the pain of seeing an old lover with their new flame, the chances not taken and still remembered years later, and the all-too-human desire to “hit the rewind button.” In other poems, he recalls the ecstasy of new love, “when everything tasted of ice cream” and desire is like an all-consuming riptide, pulling him toward oblivion. He charmingly describes the beloved’s voice as “the cinnamon in my hot chocolate.” The final poem […]
In her latest collection, Still Dreaming, Ellie Rose McKee weaves together poetry and prose to consider themes of loss and longing, dreams, and family secrets. One story concerns a coffeehouse with a mysterious regular customer, while two different stories deal with young women in distress, one on the verge of losing her sight, another considering ending her life after suffering a traumatic event.
Planet Tome Reborn by Helene Pilibosian is a continuation of the story begun in her earlier work A New Orchid Myth. In this volume, Amethyst, Granite, and their daughter Taralee travel to Earth from their home planet Tome. Taralee meets and marries Ted in Boston, and the four protagonists embark on a mission to collect plant life and technology vital to Tome’s continued prosperity.