Poetry Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Irreducible Primary by Rob Taylor

Rob Taylor’s perspective on existence and how to make it meaningful mixes prose and poetry with philosophy, style, and logic in The Irreducible Primary: A Dialogue on Nature, Spirituality, and the Human Condition.

In this varied collection, Taylor wishes to show how anyone can find a kind of peace that transcends politics, national boundaries, and even the boundaries we construct for our individual personalities. The titular “irreducible primary” is the human species. In this age of political division and malaise, “primary” then takes on dual meanings, with a focus on what is more essential than the policy debates in […]

SPR2019-03-20T07:30:10+02:00March 19th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews, Spirituality Book Reviews|

Snapshots: Say Cheese! The World is Watching by Cara Cilento

Poems and short prose pieces are mated with vibrant photos in the emotive collection Snapshots: Say Cheese! The World is Watching by debut writer Cara Cilento.

The two dominant themes in the collection are Cilento’s acceptance of herself as a lesbian, and her decision to adopt two boys, a bold move as both children are African American. Cilento is white, of Italian descent, which is made clear as she describes messages (“The Facts”) from her upbringing:

I was made from two parents

who went to school to get out of the ghetto

who tried to forget their last name had

[…]

SPR2019-04-10T08:26:15+02:00March 12th, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: LGBTQI+ Book Reviews, Poetry Book Reviews|

Becoming a Whisper by Joe Odey

Nigeria-based poet Joe Odey presents 100 poems touching on human hopes, connections and failings in Becoming a Whisper.

These short works occupy one page each, most examining what Odey calls “flawed human experience.” The five-part “Letters to Ada” laments that after a beginning in which “the whole world felt like a fairytale,” it becomes clear that “Fate had dealt us the worst of the deck.” “Our Guardian Angel” poignantly recalls an infant brother’s passing. In “That We May Live Again” a woman scorned turns to “a bottle in hand and a strange man for company.”

Odey uses language deftly […]

SPR2019-01-28T13:07:35+02:00January 25th, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews|

Review: Love, Time is Gone by Joseph Bartley Haltom III

In Love, Time is Gone, a new collection of poetry by Joseph Bartley Haltom III, loneliness and heartbreak are encapsulated in raw and powerful verse. Written for a long-lost love, April, a woman whom he has not encountered for many years, this book is weighted down by pain and regret, yet there are also some moments of hope that sporadically push through.

Saudade is a Portuguese word, commonly used in Brazil, that represents the feeling of nostalgia, longing, or desire for something that has been lost. There is no direct translation of this word in English, nor does it appear […]

SPR2019-03-11T12:28:13+02:00January 15th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews|

Review: A Bell for Jimmy by Theo Wadsworth, Illustrated by Julia Naurzalijeva

A Bell for Jimmy is a heartwarming picture book for older children written by Theo Wadsworth and illustrated by Julia Naurzalijeva.

A traveler arrives in Eden, a remote, small mountain village, to the tolling of bells. He makes his way to the village store where five village ancients sit – all of them listening reverently to the tolling bells. Once the bells stop, one of the villagers begins to tell the traveler the sobering tale behind the bells. He’s informed that today is a special day as it was twelve years and three month since their remote mountain village became […]

Marta Cheng2019-02-04T11:50:43+02:00January 5th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Children's Book Reviews, Poetry Book Reviews|

Review: Practicing Mindful Living by Dr. Debra Webb

In Practicing Mindful Living: A 365-Day Workbook for Mindfulness Practitioners, Dr. Debra Webb offers poetry, meditations and consultation to foster awareness each day of the calendar year.

A blend of self study and sage advice, Webb’s book presents a special, intentional guide to activities and concepts that can aid the thoughtful reader determining the overall tenor of his or her day. The entries begin with a short, directed poem. Here is an example, the entry for February 19th:

Wobbling down the sidewalk,
Ponytail flying behind her
Determined to master
Peddling and steering
Together
Fall after fall
She asks for

[…]

SPR2019-01-22T10:29:31+02:00December 17th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: The Velvet Anthology, Edited by Fay Jacobs and Elizabeth Andersen

The Velvet Anthology is a wonderful collection of lesbian fiction and poetry with the central theme of including Velvet Lounger, a British reviewer and promoter of lesbian erotica.

Writers MJ Williamz, Annette Mori, Cheryl Head, Cheyne Curry, Karin Kallmaker, Erica Abbott, Donna K. Ford, Lee Lynch, Stefani Deoul and Ann McMan have given us “Velvet”-themed titles like “Velvet’s Touch,” “Velvet’s Guardian Angel,” “Naming Velvet,” “Rocky Horror Velvet,” “Black Velvet and That Little Boi Smile,” and other irresistible titles like “Seize Her Salad, “Fever” and “They Met at a Tea Dance in Texarkana.”

The stories are as creative as their titles. […]

Marta Cheng2018-09-13T12:27:35+02:00August 12th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: LGBTQI+ Book Reviews, Poetry Book Reviews, Short Stories Book Reviews|

Bridges: To There by Gary W. Burns

Gary Burns’ Bridges: To There is an evocative collection of poetry, but lacks the visceral immediacy of his earlier collections of meditative poetry, such as Clouds: On the Wind.

Within the first of the four sections, the poems contain the same mixture of Haiku-esque observation, yet contain a childlike rhyme scheme. For example, in “The Wind All About”: