Poetry Book Reviews

Review: Kaleidoscope of Colors by Robert A. Cozzi

Kaleidoscope of Colors by Robert A. Cozzi

In Kaleidoscope of Colors, poet Robert A Cozzi has created a new collection of his verse using the motif of the kaleidoscope, a device that fractures and re-orders reality in microcosm, just as poems reduce and revive the color and a shape of life’s situations to give them new meaning.

In the opening Author’s Note, Cozzi questions why we always seem to “explain emotions,” calling our feelings “tricky devils.” But he likes them, even when they are painful and cloud his mind. Despite this rather dark segue, his first poem, “Jumping Off the Shelf” is hopeful, using images of […]

2019-05-16T10:43:05+02:00March 28th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: To You with Love by Gary W. Burns

To You with Love by Gary W. Burns

Loving relationships in a multitude of aspects and progressions form the focus of this new, emotive collection of works by poet Gary W. Burns.

The poems in To You with Love are divided into four segments: “Woven,” “Ins and Outs,” “Serenities,” and “Amore.”

“Woven” expresses the lover’s longing for as-yet-unrealized interconnectedness with his beloved. He imagines “The fabric of me, you: Tapestry.” The poet invites his cherished friend to share in experiences of summer’s natural bounty, recalling the tulips that grew in his youth (“The Songsmith”), picking “The First Marigold,” and often comparing his feelings to light and the warmth […]

2019-05-01T10:44:41+02:00March 23rd, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: The Irreducible Primary by Rob Taylor

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 […]

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

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

Say Cheese! The World is Watching by Cara CilentoPoems 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

[…]
2019-04-10T08:26:15+02:00March 12th, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Becoming a Whisper by Joe Odey

Becoming a Whisper by Joe OdeyNigeria-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 […]

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

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

Love, Time is Gone by Joseph Barley 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 […]

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

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

A Bell for Jimmy by Theo Wadsworth

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 […]

2019-02-04T11:50:43+02:00January 5th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: Practicing Mindful Living by Dr. Debra Webb

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

[…]
2019-01-22T10:29:31+02:00December 17th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |
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