Under the idyllic and pastoral cover, The Stranger Manual by Catie Rosemurgy is a creepy little book of poems. It juxtaposes the realities of grotesque and pretty: of comic and disturbing. While this seems alarming, it may not be a bad thing. Miss Peach, an ever-appearing character in the verses, is as compelling as Miss Havisham, and just as eccentric. [...]
Greg Hewett’s new book of poems, darkacre, dabbles in property law as well as the physical and abstract definitions surrounding it. The poetry collection’s name is a play on the legal term ‘blackacre’ which simply defines one property from another, ‘whiteacre’, for contracts and legal proceedings. Hewett takes this from law to literary, with poems that carry titles like “redacre,” [...]
Unincorporated Persons in the Late Honda Dynasty is a colorful and contradictory view of America. The poems are a filled with musings on the century we are living in and the dynamics of love and life. Tony Hoagland’s verses seem to ask if we are just bold adventurers claiming a new democratic royalty or is our empire full of rust [...]
In college I had a poetry writing professor who was famous by her own right, but the sister of a far more famous writer. Our assignment was to find a collection of poetry, read it, learn a bit about the writer, analyze the work, and then present our findings. I hopped down the street to the neighborhood indie book store, [...]
Like a CSI television drama, Find the Girl captures our full attention. The poems deal with the death of and lurking danger to girls and young women. Author, Lightsey Darst’s verses urge the reader to tap into the days of innocence when running through fields was brave exploration and lips were stained red by Kool-Aid, not beauty products. Here words [...]
Jazz music, sassy aunts, and sweet home-cooking are nostalgically portrayed in Philip S. Bryant’s memoir, Stompin’ At The Grand Terrace. Technically a book of poetry, Stompin’ also contains prose, photos, an extensive jazz who’s who, and even a CD of music by Carolyn Wilkins. Bryant’s way of storytelling may even inspire you to pick up a jazz record of your [...]
Unrest is an edgy social commentary that expertly blends nature with the chaos of human life. Poet and Master Gardener, Joanna Rawson can look into the fury of a garden with all its encroaching weeds, buzzing wasps, and bold blooms and find a connection to almost anything. Joanna Rawson Reading 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 11 Common Good Books, 165 Western [...]
Let me start out by saying that I am no expert on poetry. The following review is based not on the formal structure of a poem, or what poetry should or shouldn’t be, but based strictly on my love for the written word. Friends of mine would tell you that I’ve never been a huge fan of poetry. Most of [...]
If I were ever inclined to tear covers off books, I would do it to this one. Dull brown with a grainy black tree photo and a title that is too uninspired for such a dense work of emotions, The Storm that Killed the Tree is plainly not a good name. I’m not questioning that it happened, because trees get [...]
Un-Coded Woman is not quite a love-story, yet there is a subtle romance in Anne-Marie Oomen’s words. The alliterations and symbolism she uses seem to be a practiced art. Oomen sets us sailing through rich images that delight our senses. Lake Michigan is the ocean and the northern wilderness it’s shore. Life isn’t a beach-y resort, but hard work and [...]
