All books here were written by poets and writers who were featured Poets of the Week on the Poetry Super Highway. If you were a PSH Poet of the Week and have a book available through Amazon, write us and let us know!
Iron Man Family Outing : Poems About Transition Into A More Conscious Manhood by Rick Belden+
Inspired by a puzzling series of dreams about a favorite comic book hero from his boyhood, the author embarks upon an arduous but ultimately healing odyssey into a dark and damaged internal landscape, the wreckage of a childhood spent with an angry, abusive, distant father. As he begins to understand these dreams, and allows them to lead him forward, he also begins to accept his unique personal history, understand its consequences in his adult life, and take responsibility for his own healing. Iron Man Family Outing is widely used in the United States and internationally by therapists, counselors, and men's groups as an aid in the exploration of masculine psychology and men's issues, especially for men who are adult survivors of childhood abuse.
Paperback, 106 Pages, published by Richard M. Belden, (November 1990)
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A Goodbye To My Little Troubles by Vusi Moloi
Vusi Moloi encapsulates humanity with its universal emotions and feelings in a pulsating rhythm of a symphony. Flavored uniquely with African condiments of benevolence, compassion, and forbearing (Ubuntu) in his A Goodbye To My Little Troubles, the author gives us the lay of the land in terms of the purpose of the writings. In this poetry, we experience a cavalcade of grief and joy, darkness and light, despair and hope. See the depths of grief in 'It Was a Victims Fault'. Here is a heart-wrenching example of man's inhumanity to man. Despite that, life has to go on, and one has to persevere. Hence, three poems later we watch and enjoy 'Beautiful Canada Dancing in the Rain'.
Paperback, published by Third Millennium Publishing, (2008)
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Sugar Fish by Douglas Richardson with illustrations by Erica Erdman
Sugar Fish is iPod Biblical in scope, replete with sophisticated parables and lyrical parallelisms. Douglas Richardson writes like the William Cullen Bryant of our post-millennial complicated and polished times, except with extra added windows through which to scrutinize life and reflect, literally, emotionally, and in digital high-definition. This is a brilliant work of art that will resonate and reverberate and endure. --Angel Uriel Perales, poet and journalist
Under the fey mantle of a gentle weirdo, Ricahrdson transports the reader from the noise and cacophony of everyday insanity into the heart of the primitive, quixotic, and stunning nature of the human predicament. --Marie Lecrivain, author of Nihilistic Foibles
There are major league words coached into World Series rings of meaning that loop Sature for good measure. Follow Doug and you will cross fields and forests, visit loneliness in its home, find pop culture shards in ashtrays, and see yourself at the bottom of a glass eye staring right back at you. --E. Amato, poet
Paperback, 60 pages, published by Sacred Beverage Press, (January, 2007)
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The Secrets of Falling by LaDonna Witmer with illustrations by LadDonna
The Secrets of Falling is a collection of poems that chronicle a woman's fall from grace, her climb back up, and everyone she meets on the long way down. Written with equal parts razor and lipstick, this book includes poems that span nearly 10 years of falling and climbing and falling again. Designed by artist Kathy Azada and featuring the photography of Patti Monaghen and Bruce Willems, Secrets is a different kind of poetry book - a book that tells a story not only with words, but with moods and with moments and shadows of hope. Inspired by the seemingly ever-present San Francisco fog, LaDonna Witmer writes about things that live in grey spaces and on the tips of tongues. She has published two other books of poems, Shedding the Angel Skin in 2000 and a limited edition chapbook called She is a Death Star in 2007.
Paperback, 122 pages, published by This Blank Page Productions, (May, 2007)
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The Porous Desert by David Chorlton
The Porous Desert is a collection of poems rooted in the Arizona desert with a few detours to higher ground. David Chorlton was born in Austria, grew up in England, and spent several years in Vienna before moving to Phoenix in 1978.
Paperback, 60 pages, published by FutureCycle Press, (February, 2007)
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Roomful of Navels by Craig Kirchner
In Roomful of Navels Craig Kirchner removes veils and ceremony as well as labels in acknowledging in very readable poems many of the navels he has known. He finds stories and mystery in ordinary moments extraordinarily told.
"Incisive observation and deft wit inform this fine debut collection. Kirchner is able to move from the visceral to the profound with the flick of the pen and without ever losing sight
of those twists of irony that keep him grounded and engaged with the world"
.....--Dr. Jan Fortune-Wood
.....--Editor, Cinnamon Press & Envoi
Paperback, 116 pages, published by CreateSpace, (February, 2008)
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Driving With Dante by Brian Michael Tracy
The book begins with a series of meditative poems. It expands to the comic and there are explorations of of history, religion and politics. We seem to meet the shade of Wallace Stevens and talk to Larry Levis. Finally we take a ride through Los Angeles with Dante at the wheel, culminating in a noir-ish, apocalyptical vision of the past, or is it the future? Either way it's quite a ride.
.....--Richard Garcia
Brian Tracy's poetry gives the reader that instant feeling of recognition derived from the realization that one has just encountered something universal, something uniquely human that resonates with all of us. It is the kind of poetry that captures a piece of the essence of what it means to live life and connect into the common energy that binds us all.
.....--Martin Hughes
Paperback, 44 pages, published by Midnight Tea Publishing, LLC, (November, 2007)
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Psyche's Weathers by Cynthia Atkins
"Cynthia Atkins knows well that we live at the mercy of the unalterable systems of time and weather, and that our minds are full of 'intangible ache' and 'interior storms.' Her response, and the inspired industry of these poems, is to summon metaphor to the work it is best suited for: pursuing the ineffable and reconciling the contradictory. Atkins takes on both of these necessary tasks and writes her way (and ours) toward a more salutary climate. 'The weather always has something to say," one poem claims. As a keenly perceptive and passionate channeler of inner and outer weathers, so does Cynthia Atkins."--Jeanne Marie Beaumont, author of Curious Conduct and Placebo Effects
"For Cynthia Atkins, the weather is both an external and an internal state. The poems in Psyche's Weathers pay attention to the natural forces that govern our days, the procession of the months and the seasons, the progression from cradle to grave. Here are snow and rain, constellations and darkness, the 'heady light' of April, an 'atomic winter.' Atkins's poems remind us of the confluence and the argument between what is within and what is without, what is beautiful and perilous, expected and unexpected, mysterious and ordinary about human experience."--Carrie Brown
Paperback, 116 pages, published by WordTech Communications, (November, 2007)
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Duties Of The Spirit by Patricia Fargnoli
Readers will discover many facets of Fargnoli's voice, but two attributes that will most impress readers are, first, the almost shimmering gladness with which Ms. Fargnoli replies to the gifts of beauty and of human love; and, second, the compassion with which she addresses whatever is beyond her own intimate surroundings."-Mary Oliver
Duties of the Spirit comprises deeply moving, lyrical and unforgettable explorations of the joys and fears that come with growing older in America.
Patricia Fargnoli, a retired psychotherapist, is a Macdowell fellow and associate editor of The Worcester Review. Her first book, Necessary Light, was selected by Mary Oliver for the May Swenson Poetry Award, Utah State University Press, 1999.
Paperback, 80 pages, published by Tupelo Press, (April, 2005)
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A Poet's Guide to Divorce by David Breeden
Dad, JJ Wade, is a used bookshop owner. Son Buck is a screenwriter trying to make it on the west coast. Between them is the long shadow of a divorce. When Hollie Ivie, a Goth grrrl, becomes the obsession of JJ's life, Buck steps in with shock therapy-he steals Hollie. Mixing journals, email, and third-person narration, this novel tells the story of a wasted, bitter artist who still might pull it out, his son headed in the same direction, and a woman who doesn't intend to be owned by anyone. Where does Marcus Aurelius, the great Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher fit in? A frumpy professor and email, of course.
"If Jack Kerouac were from Texas, his name would be David Breeden."
...................Kinky Friedman
"A joyous and thought-provoking journey that probes matters of the heart in the midst of various collisions we call ‘relationships.’"
...................JJ Sargent
Paperback, 288 pages, published by Fine Tooth Press, (April, 2005)
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Diminishing Returns by Karl Koweski
In his latest collection of poetry, Karl Koweski puts the fun back into disillusionment and adds charm to dissolution. Able to laugh at himself as he laughs at others, Diminishing Returns is layered with humor and Koweski s observations of a world quickly losing cohesion--and an appreciation for baseball s greatest .236 career hitter. Karl Koweski was born in the north to die in the south. From his house trailer atop Alabama s second highest mountain he lives the life of a country boy as dictated by John Denver. He writes all manner of stories both pornographic and non.
Chapbook, 40 pages, published by Sunny Outside, (September, 2007)
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The Astonished Universe by Helene Cardona
"The Astonished Universe is a tour de force of language and phonetics; a deeply felt and deeply spiritual collection which explores the universal human experience from a very personal point of view. This is intimate poetry, and yet it transcends the mundane through its lyricism and its glory in language. Hélène Cardona's pen moves from the human to the divine and back in a single sentence, and the result is uplifting and magical."
.......--Joanne Harris, best selling author of Chocolat.
Paperback, 104 pages, published by Red Hen Press, (October, 2006)
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Imbalance: An Experimental Collection of Micro Stories and Poetry (Paperback)
by Christine McGuigan
This fine collection of poetry and micro-stories, a form developed and mastered by the Author, offers the reader a very simple challenge: "This is truth. Can you face it?". Christine McGuigan examines the underbelly of western culture and addresses a myriad of barbed issues including the human obsession for damaging the planet, the last taboo that is mental illness,dollar worship, addictions, TV voyeurism and prostitution. The Author combines a sledgehammer honesty with genuine sensitivity for her subjects. The haiku, whilst paying due respect to tradition, is skillfully employed as a vehicle for her powerful presentation of subject. This is a unique, conscience provoking book, crafted by a blazing talent who is surely destined for high literary status.
..........Stephen Cree, UK
Paperback, 64 pages, published by Easy Break, First Time Publishing, (February, 1998)
read poetry by Christine (Bruness) McGuigan
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Please Pass Me, the Blood & Butter by Anthony Liccione
Poems by Anthony Liccione. A book filled of bloodshed, spellbound, impure thoughts, impulsive urges and untimely wordplay; that twists back to our starving reality.
Paperback, 112 pages, published by Lulu.com, (February, 2007)
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Letters from Portugal by Jan Oscar Hansen
"I never saw the beauty of the sea." "My tree atop the hill murmurs its gratitude." "Olive trees drip slow tears of immense sorrow, knowing they can never embrace one another." Jan Oskar Hansen's attitudes are evident in his poetry: his wish that people were kinder and gentler; his abhorrence of war, his sense of humour about the senseless things people, including himself, have done. But it's his love of plants, animals and all of nature-such a great admiration that he often uses personification, giving nature human qualities and emotions in his poems-that is most evident. Perhaps it's this quality-along with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour-that makes his poems so unique and endearing. Letters from Portugal is divided into six chapters: On Love, On War, On People, On Poetry, Hansen Snapshots, and Letters from Portugal: actual letters from the poet to his editor. There's something for everyone here. Even those who aren't frequent readers of poetry will be moved by Hansen's passion, amused by his sarcasm, and delighted by his ability to paint pictures of the simple things in ordinary life-making them extraordinary.
Paperback, 160 pages, published by Bewrite Books, (May, 2003)
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Gunpoint by Peter T. Ely
Gunpoint is about a young woman, Ellen Turner, who works as a reporter for a newspaper in Philadelphia. After working on a series of articles about a city program to reintroduce convicts into society, Ellen is accused by an ex-convict of incriminating him in one of her articles and finds herself terrorized. The threats to Ellen and to her family quickly escalate, and she is forced to purchase a handgun to defend herself. The terror spreads to Ellen's home and to the Schuylkill Expressway. In a final confrontation with her enemies, Ellen learns that the plot against her life is more widespread than she had guessed.
Paperback, 123 pages, published by PublishAmerica, (May, 2005)
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Child's Play by Robert Klein Engler
"Engler...is...not only one of today's premier gay writers, but...an inspiring wordsmith for all audiences."
...........--J. Masiulewicz, U-Direct
"...a poet of the first rank."
...........--Michael Morgan
Paperback, 160 pages, published by iUniverse, (May 30, 2006)
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Balancing Acts by Rochelle Ratner
Rochelle Ratner explores the forgotten corners of one's life, the bits of nourishment one finds but is not given, or is given only to hunger for more... The effect of this narrative in prose poems is unsettling, as if the cobwebs in the corners of our own lives had been pulled aside.
.....Jessica Treat
In writing as in life, this poet seems to have no use for undue exuberance but is plainly too strong to let herself get bogged down in the maudlin... The result is honest and unaffected writing refreshingly free of the self-conscious angst that mars the writing of some of her colleagues.
.....Library Journal
Paperback, 102 pages
Published by: Marsh Hawk Press
Publication date: September, 2006
ISBN: 0978555503
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 Ex Literotica by Peter Magliocco
Out of an imaginary hotel called Ex Literotica, located in the gambling mecca of Las Vegas, the author-in-residence presents ninety-eight poems dealing with life, love, art, and many other pivotal subjects that emanate from his experiences in Sin City, where the struggle to advance human values is, at times, threatened by a culture whose primary focus is the mighty dollar. There are also several other poems presenting different locales wherein diverse poetic techniques come into play that attempt to reveal for the reader the panoply of inner visions existing everywhere in our daily lives—if only we'd stop and appreciate them, that is. Realizing that the quest for love and for proverbial meanings in life motivates many people, this book gives an artful blueprint for exploring the endangered and complex interior experiences of us all
Paperback, 144 pages
Published by: PublishAmerica
Publication date: August, 2006
ISBN: 142415006X
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 Only the Sea Keeps: Poetry of the Tsunami by Joan E. Bauer, Sankar Roy, and Judith R. Robinson Two weeks after the tsunami hit South Asia, taking more than a quarter of a million lives, three Pittsburgh poets - Judith Robinson, Sankar Roy and Joan Bauer issued an international appeal for poetry addressing the tragic event. The poets became editors, reviewed hundreds of poems and published a collection of works of 80 poets called Only the Sea Keeps. The poems deal with shock, loss, and grief and survivorship. The belief is that poetry can deepen understanding and provide a measure of healing. Royalties from the sale of the book will be distributed to the Library Disaster Relief Fund, affiliated with the American Library Association, and Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian organization that has been active in tsunami-related relief and rebuilding. With the tragedy in the United States of Hurricane Katrina, the editors have added Hurricane 2005 Relief, through the American Red Cross, as a beneficiary of funds. About the editors: Judith R. Robinson is an editor, teacher, fiction writer and award-winning poet from Pittsburgh. She was editor of Living Inland, 1989, Bennington Press and author of The Beautiful Wife and Other Stories, 1996, Aegina Press. She is poetry editor and contributor to Signatures, Volumes 1, 2 and 3, 2001, 2003, 2005, Academy for Lifelong Learning at Carnegie Mellon University and Ring Road Press. She is editor of Only the Sea Keeps. Joan E. Bauer, of Pittsburgh and Laguna Beach, CA, grew up in Los Angeles. She was educated at UCLA and UC Berkeley. For some years she taught high school English and journalism in public and independent schools. Her poetry has appeared in The Comstock Review, 5 AM, Janus Head and other journals. She serves as associate editor of Only the Sea Keeps. Sankar Roy is an engineer, MBA, web artist, poet, translator and an immigrant from India. Mr. Roy is honored to live and work in Pittsburgh, PA.
Hardcover, 80 pages
Published by: Rupa & Co, Indi
Publication date: 2005 ISBN: 8129107457
 The Looking Glass Poems by Ulrike Gerbig A mirror can be enticing...even more so when it is human and we believe to see our true self. A collection of poems on finding one's other half. Ulrike Gerbig is a poet who lives and works in Germany. She writes concise, sensual poetry in the manner of the American Beats. She is widely published on the internet and in magazines. This is the complete collection of the Looking Glass poems. It contains all three volumes: 1. Through the looking glass 2. Behind the looking glass 3. Down the rabbit hole. In them a modern European woman discovers the world behing the mirror.
Paperback, 80 pages
Published by: Lulu Press
Publication date: 2005 ISBN: B000H848QW
 Cherry Poems by Jeffrey Spahr-Summers Poems of Cherries and Fascination written by Jeffrey Spahr-Summers, Jeffrey Spahr-Summers, a poet and photographer whose poems have appeared in Hammers, Strong Coffee, Erie, San Fernando Poetry Journal, Newsletter Inago, The Dallas Review, The poetry Victims, Kritya, The International Poetry Project, Unlikely Stories, Black Medina, Poetry Magazine, Abalone Moon, The Coffee Press Journal, Lily Literary Journal, Poems For You and twice previously on The Poetry Super Highway. Jeff's poems appear in 3 anthologies, Chicago Saloon Poets, Step Into The Light and Voices Israel 2005. His first book of poetry is Fear of Heights (1984). Jeff is the Editor and Publisher of The Poetry Victims.
Paperback, 192 pages
Published by: Lulu Press
Publication date: 2006 ISBN: 1411685792
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 The Poet Slave of Cuba : A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano by Margarita Engle
Born into the household of a wealthy slave owner in Cuba in 1797, Juan Francisco Manzano spent his early years by the side of a woman who made him call her Mama, even though he had a mama of his own. Denied an education, young Juan still showed an exceptional talent for poetry. His verses reflect the beauty of his world, but they also expose its hideous cruelty. Powerful, haunting poems and breathtaking illustrations create a portrait of a life in which even the pain of slavery could not extinguish the capacity for hope. Margarita Engle is a Cuban American poet, novelist, and journalist whose work for adults has been published in many countries. She lives in northern California.
Paperback, 192 pages
Published by: Henry Holt and Co
Publication date: April, 2006 ISBN: 0805077065
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 Typical Girl by Donna Kuhn
Birds, moons, words, water, skies: with these basic elements Donna Kuhn creates a voice swirling down a hypnotizing stream of thought, thought addressed to "u", which could well be the "I" of these poems. Or of this single long poem which seems to wrap a conscious presence in a veil of motion, as if to hide something, but revealing all. Outside a "geometric beauty salon" she is "shaving inside birds"; a "typical girl" dreaming from the outside in. A beautiful and mesmerizing book.
Paperback, 88 pages
Published by: Fine Tooth Press
Publication date: November, 2005 ISBN: 0976665271
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 Sifting the Visible by Skip Renker
Skip Renker's work has appeared in California Quarterly, The Passages North anthology, The Witness, and many other publications, as well as Birds of Passage, a chapbook. His poems have won national contests judged by William Stafford, Linda Pastan, and Janet Kaufmannm and he co-developed a radio program featuring interviews with writers that received an award from the Public Broadcasting System. He teaches at Delta College in Central Michigan.
Paperback, 36 pages
Published by: Mayapple Press
Publication date: January, 1998
ISBN: 0932412130
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 Tentatively by Ashok Niyogi
A tangential look at life in America through the eyes of an enchanted explorer disenchanted with life. An acerbic but optimistic commentary on Life presented through a succession of vivid visual images. Later, the author returns to himself in Kolkata, a paradoxical phantasmagoria, which never ceases to amaze him and seize him. Tentatively is a tribute to the indomitable human spirit which survives in the filth that is Kolkata. Ashok’s poetry follows no particular grammar but is a spontaneous expression of what he sees, hears, smells, touches or feels. His English is abundantly Indian (with its colonial burden) but because of his travel, the odd Russian, European or American ‘ism’ has crept in. Ashok Niyogi was born in Calcutta, India in 1955. After graduating with honors in Economics from Presidency College, Calcutta University, he spent more than 25 years in trade and commerce working in different parts of the world. For over a decade he was in the USSR and Russia.
Paperback, 238 pages
Published by: iUniverse
Publication date: February, 2005
ISBN: 0595339352
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 We Are Billion Year Old Carbon: A 60's Narrative by Corey Mesler
This book defies description, in my opinion, when it comes to what genre one would place it under: short stories, flash fiction, poetry, even music reviews...it has it all, and more. Mr. Mesler writes with a new voice, one that conjures up images that require the reader to catch his breath every so often. Already having released a very fine novel a couple of years back (Talk) which featured a unique dialogue form throughout, this work goes several steps further, describing fictitious (or not?) occurances in his native Memphis in the 60's, with a host of quirky characters that show up in the prose and poetry...and the result, to me, is sublime. You must read this book, because Corey Mesler will be a name you hear again and again in the future. He is a brilliant writer who deserves attention. This book is well worth your attention, as well!
Paperback, 200 pages
Published by: Livingston Press
Publication date: December, 2005
ISBN: 1931982627
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 Driven Into the Shade by Brandon Cesmat
Driven into the Shade is a look over a life, a look back into sources, a look into influences and confusions, a look at where this life comes from and how it goes where it goes. There is duende here for sure, blood root dark and violent that feeds into so much beauty rising from the ground of Brandon's history. This work cannot be let go because his passion is so elegantly unstoppable. Real art has certain elements: craft - by all means, if it is not well written we do not take the artist seriously; a story you can connect with - it draws you in because it tells you about yourself; a passion that drives the work and tells you that the emotions are real; and duende. In this work these elements are full and present, scripted and yet unnoticed and we marvel at how the art is brought forth and for what purpose the work is held.
Paperback, 104 pages
Published by: Poetic Matrix Press
Publication date: August 2005
ISBN: 0971400334
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 Cheating the Sphinx by Howard Camner
Cheating the Sphinx is a collection of selected poems by Howard Camner. Many of these poems have been published in literary journals throughout the U.S. and Great Britain. In addition, there are many new works. This collection is a solid superb sampling of Camner's bizarre take on things.
Paperback, 128 pages
Published by: Tri-State Books
Publication date: November 2005
ISBN: 0970649215
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 Back Words and Forward by Anthony Liccione
At most, I am intrigued at how life can play out its role, the fates we face on a day-to-day basis, and consequences that later define who we are and what we were. Life really does have a purpose and much to serve; the sad thing is most people don’t ever find their passion. I have learned that it is the hope inside that enables me to word my past, move on in life, and go forward. One can go through life through the motions of survival, all the while neglecting what God has uniquely gifted for that person to require and establish. I believe there is a reason for everything, whether the cards were dealt for a life to be born with abundance or in destitution. In a world that is vague and raw, Back Words and Forward depicts the discrimination, fears, death, love, and lacks of life that touch us every day.
Paperback, 96 pages
Published by: PublishAmerica
Publication date: December 2005
ISBN: 1424113563
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 Hiawatha Rocks by Peter Magliocco
A novel of depth & passion set in the California-dreamin' environs of the early 1970's. Hiawatha Jones begins: "Nem awoke in the hospital, thinking of himself as Hiawatha Jones and remembering medicine chants” Only recently he held great aspirations for becoming a great Rock & Roll musician " now, how could he have sunk to this?” His story is one shared by many young Americans during a Viet Nam war era dramatically affecting the lives of returning Vets and countercultural types against all wars as well. Peter Magliocco, writer/artist/editor, was raised in Southern California but has spent over 20 years editing the underground lit-zine, ART:MAG, out of Las Vegas, Nevada. His poetry chapbook, This Junkyard Heaven, is from Pudding House Publications, and his futuristic novel, Nu-Evermore, was published in 2002 by Trafford Publishing in cooperation with his own Limited Editions Press.
Paperback, 254 pages
Published by: Airleaf Publishing
Publication date: October 2005
ISBN: 1594537976
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 All the Ways We Could Have Met by Susan Culver
"Real life, real love, real poetry."
-Patricia Gomes, Editor In Chief of Adagio Verse Quarterly and Author of Stroking Castro's Beard.
"Susan Culver writes the way we all would write if we could."
Craig Murray, author of The Banshee.
Susan Culver's first full length volume of poetry, All The Ways We Could Have Met, is a collection of love poems that travel beyond the romantic here and now to explore love's place in the world of maybe.
Paperback, 72 pages
Published by: Lulu Press
Publication date: October 2005
ISBN: 1411648668
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 Flowers Half Blown by Cheryl Snell
"Flower Half Blown" chronicles the unbridgeable distances and unbreakable loyalties of middle-aged love.From the title poem's riff on innocence to the scathing, final "Retiring to Boca",these two dozen pieces remind us that daily epiphanies bring renewal; and reassures us that"when you wade out too far/ I'll snatch you back/laughing like an impostor". This book has been nominated for the Ohioana Book Award.
Paperback, 80 pages
Published by: Finishing Line Press
Publication date: 2002
ISBN: 0971892210
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 Billy Last Crow by J.P. Dancing Bear
J.P. Dancing Bear is an accomplished poet. His poems are included in hundreds of publications and he is the author of five poetry chapbooks: From a Reconstructed Dream (1996), Disjointed Constellation (1998), Prospero in Therapy (1999), Gods of America (2001), Blue Hand (2002), and What Language (2002), which won the 2002 Slipstream Press Poetry Prize.
Bear's debut full-length collection, Billy Last Crow, is an engaging and powerful poetic sequence depicting the life and struggles of a contemporary Native American in a country where he is stereotyped, marginalized, and discriminated against. Billy Last Crow brings to the forefront the plight of many in accessible (yet striking and multi-layered) language, symbolism, and imagery.
The collection vividly portrays relevant issues of poverty, alcoholism, violence, and unemployment, among others, through the eyes of Billy-a wanderer who is denied a place to call home in his own native homeland. Desperation, and at times resignation, are intermingled with the understated determination to forge a better tomorrow in spite of the monumental difficulties and obstacles that are placed on the symbolic protagonist's path. Bear's poetry refuses to accept the universal reality of many by recording and decrying the deplorable human conditions in which they exist, and by subtly confronting the indifference of mainstream society.
Billy Last Crow forces the reader to take an introspective look in order to understand and accept both past and current histories, inviting us not to forget still raw wounds. As in the concluding poem "Billy Ghost Crow," the entire collection demands our attention, and by implication our actions, because injustices continue. Too many souls exist like Billy, and collectively, we continue to look the other way: "He is like the crazy blue- / green ribbon of landscape // flying past the passenger window, / racing into the ghost world."
Paperback, 92 pages
Published by: Wordtech Communications
Publication date: May 2004
ISBN: 1932339213
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read poetry by Kaye Voigt Abikhaled
 Lyrics of Lebanon by Kaye Voigt Abikhaled
Out of rich, multi-colored, and multi-textured bolts of cloth Kaye Abikhaled has woven a shawl of words both complex and simple, heart-breaking and sublime. Lyrics of Lebanon is an honest, true, grief-and-hope-filled view of a torn region, bathed with tears, and, yet, not devoid of hope. From cherries to cigarettes to strong coffee to cedars it is the smallest of images that will stay with you, images that do not mean to be metaphors but, couched in such a war-torn environment, cannot avoid it. ... For not only is this a book of war and mourning, it is also a book of generosity and beauty and unquenchable spirit. The details in almost every poem are what give the book its power. Ms. Abikhaled writes of Lebanon with all its history, richness, and culture. But, like in the poem, ¿The Orchard¿, she writes with the intimate knowledge of one who knows the land. You will find yourself revisiting many of the poems, not just because you want to, but because you must.
.....-Alan Lee Birkelbach, Poet Laureate of Texas
Paperback
Published by: Westlake Publishing Partners
Publication date: 2005
ISBN: 097600531X
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 Spritz by Stephen Kopel
Inebriated from a hurdy-gurdy wordy brew, these slightly dippy, very much witty poems inhabit their own distinct universe in which the reader is invited to recreate. SPRITZ is the quintessential American pop culture collection as its fanciful poems - 82 in number - wiggle a sassy confidence that addresses the main concern of our citizens: what's wrong with having so much fun? In this book, the reader's associative imagination is the active catalyst to spark the effervescence this poetry is crafted to create. No contemplative musings, speculative notions or personal rants here. The verbal hijinx are purposely unsettling, yet, the astute reader will sense Mr. Kopel's tender bombast to imply never take oneself too seriously. These poems reflect that spirit.
Paperback, 93 pages
Published by: Regent Press
Publication date: May, 2003
ISBN: 1587900483
 Shards: A Handful of Verse by Tom Berman
A collection of poetry written by a professional scientist and long time member of an Israeli kibbutz in the Galilee presenting somewhat different perceptions of life experiences.Some serious,some humorous, some lyrical, some whimsical, none too obscure to understand. Add a pinch of salt and enjoy! Tom Berman has been a member of Kibbutz Amiad, Israel for almost 50 years... He grew up in Glasgow, Scotland having arrived there aged 5 from Czechoslovakia. Most of his publications to date have been scientific but now and again he has had some poems appear in press.
Paperback, 128 pages
Published by: Writers Club Press
Publication date: August 2002
ISBN: 0595241972
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 River Voices: Poets of Butte, Shasta, Tehama, & Trinity Counties, California edited by Patricia Wellingham-Jones
28 poets from four counties at the north end of California’s Great Central Valley write of many things.
Poets of Butte, Shasta, Tehama, and Trinity Counties.
Paperback, 97 pages
Published by: Patricia Wellingham-Jones
Publication date: March, 1997
ISBN: 0939221136
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 Unscrambled Eggs by Nadia Brown
The poems in this book were written over a five year period and reflects either my own experiences, those close to me, and issues that I feel very passionately about. Unscrambled Eggs, is an honest and thought-provoking book that deals with everyday life issues. It is a compilation of poems about living your dream and finding purpose.
Paperback, 72 pages
Published by: Publish America
Publication date: July, 2005
ISBN: 1413781691
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 I Am Spam by Larry O. Dean
A great journey through the mind of an evolving poet who uses quirky observations in his poetry and performances.
.....-Pam Osbey, Author, "Black Orchids"
Bob Dylan meets George Carlin. "I Am Spam" is a subversive romp for the articulate cynic.
.....- Nighttimes.com, November 2004
Paperback, 28 pages
Published by: Fractal Edge Press
Publication date: September, 2004
ISBN: 0972255362
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 Wall to Wall by Lori Romero
Review by Ann White / Gumball Poetry:
Lori Romero's chapbook is a cross-stitch uniting the threads
that create family. Her voice is delicate and colorful, suggestive and realistic. She allows her readers breathing room and yet enough imagery to linger long after the reading.
Paperback
Published by: Finishing Line Press
Publication date: 2004
ISBN: 1932755470
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 How to Burn by Christopher Locke
Locke's writing is fresh and original. His poetry will slap your senses awake with images of 'her hands folded together like origami', and 'the glorious potato, tucked into its fetal position; a silent brown fist...' A truly outstanding collection!
Paperback
Published by: Adastra Press
Publication date: January 1995
ISBN: 0938566709
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 Cells by Scott Holstad
"Scott Holstad thinks in poetry, in rhythmical waves. His imagination surges ahead, large and generous, the cut of his lines always clean and firm. These fervent, honest, well-made poems carry the reader through the underworld and back in a healing action that reminds us of Rimbaud's 'Drunken Boat' or Odysseus' journey with the golden bough. 'Tegretol' is destined to become a contemporary classic. 'Tennessee Football Saved My Ass' reminds us of Holstad's unfailing, albeit dark sense of humor."
----------Marilyn Kallet
Paperback, 207 pages
Published by: Publish America
Publication date: November 2004
ISBN: 1413741800
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 Club des Poètes by Kaye Voigt Abikhaled
Kaye Voigt Abikhaled slips into Paris in the shadow of other "pilgrims" and brings the reader with her in full force. Her portraits of people, events, art, and the city itself, are poignant and vital without the imposition of her own emotional attachment. She allows the reader to become intimate with the past as well as the present that is the vibrant amalgamation of the Paris she obviously loves and illuminates with well-chosen words and phrases.
~ Clarence P. Socwell, past president, National Federation of State Poetry Societies
Paperback
Published by: Westlake Publishing Partners
Publication in: 2004
ISBN: 0976005301
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 Notebook and Sheaves by Christopher Mulrooney
The poems in this volume were written in the last year of the twentieth century. A long overture with a surprising close, various ?occupations,? songs, tricks, puzzles, gags of all sorts, comprise the work. An amusement for the cultivated reader, intended to allay the worrisome cares of a tired epoch, if poetry may be said to have a purpose. A savage, witty set of satires, a spoof and a song.
Paperback, 127 pages
Published by: PublishAmerica
Publication date: May 2002
ISBN: 1591291763
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 Hands Collected: The Books of Simon Perchik Poems : 1949-1999 by Simon Perchik
With only one of Simon Perchik's 16 previous small-press releases in print, Hands Collected: The Books of Simon Perchik gives the work of Patterson, New Jersey's latter-day poetic son a more permanent form. Readers will find his signature use of the colon (" only the moon :hope/ carved into each gravestone") much in evidence in poems from I Counted Only April (1964) to These Hands Filled with Numbness (1996) and through to new work, "again a brush sealing this boat/ as wings covered with sun/ sweeter than milk and lush sugar oil."
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Paperback, 593 pages
Published by: Pavement Saw Press
Publication date: November 2000
ISBN: 188635085X
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 Survivable World by Ron Mohring
"Mohring artfully (and heartfully) scours the surfaces of love and loss."
.....-Scott Hightower
Poetry "with an emotional honesty that gives voice to the ever changing vectors of promise and loss in a world marked by the devastation of AIDS" -- Betsy Sholl. Cover Art by Fred Wilkinson. Winner of the 2003 Washington Prize.
Paperback, 80 pages
Published by: Word WorksPublication date: January, 2004
ISBN: 0915380552
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 Postcards From a Summer Girl by C.E. Laine
In her third full-length collection of poems, the reader is asked to indulge in a bit of fiction. The setting for this volume involves a young woman who is missing; vanished with no trace, no explanation. What's left is a box of postcards and notes, dumped and spread out on the kitchen table. Postcards from a summer girl....
Paperback, 105 pages
Published by: Sun Rising Poetry Press
Publication date: August, 2004
ISBN: 0975595539
 New York: A Haibun Journey by Marc Awodey
Marc Awodey's "NEW YORK a haibun journey" has been described as "a poetic voyage into a harrowing artistic and spiritual nether world. What Awodey evokes is the kind of pathos and desperate insight of the Consul found in Malcolm Lowry's Under the Volcano." It is also a stunning technical achievement- Awodey has reinvented and redefined the haibun form- traditionally a mixture of narrative combined with a concluding haiku. Awodey’s sections begin with haiku, and are followed by prose narratives that morph back and forth into poetry.
Awodey, a National Poetry Slam haiku champion breaks and rewrites most -if not all- of the haiku and haibun rules. However, New York: A Haibun Journey is more than a technical achievement or chronicle of dipsomania and self-destruction. Its rhythm and pacing are consciously symphonic. It is a personal journey that in a strange, sad, and ultimately redemptive way foreshadows the destruction and reverberations of Sept. 11. It's Awodey's Howl. It's poetry for our 21st century times.
Paperback, 116 pages
Published by: Writers Publishing Cooperative
Publication date: July, 2003
ISBN: 1930149158
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 Cafe Alibi by Todd Swift
Swift’s Budavox: poems 1990-1999 explored sex, violence, art, and memory, to critical acclaim. His new collection, Café Alibi, written while the author lived abroad in Budapest and Paris, extends these concerns with popular culture, history, desire, nostalgia, and the often competing claims of travel and home. Swift’s crisp, elegant, deceptively calm language questions images of 'the child, the adult and the outside world' in ways both witty and disturbing. Café Alibi maps a stylish itinerary through exotic terrain, offering at once hostility and ultimate peace, poetry that puts love to the test and disarms our darkest fears.
Paperback, 76 pages
Published by: DC Books
Publication date: August, 2002
ISBN: 0919688535
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Pieces of a Soul by Dr. Hooman Shahkar
Hooman Shahkar is a medical doctor whose poems have been published on various poetry journals and websites. "Pieces of a Soul" is a collection of hundred of the poet's best short poems. His poetry is inspired and vivid in imagery. Although it is deep and insightful, the poetry is also short and simple. Its intention is to make the reader think, more deeply, about love, life, death, peace and God.
Paperback, 105 pages
Published by: XLibris
Publication date: March, 2004
ISBN: 1413435785
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 Unsexy by Tonya Kelley
UNSEXY is the poetic chronicle of a girl struggling to find the balance between love and sex, city and country, faithful housewife and independent woman. The reader follows Ms. Kelley down the streets of New York, up the hills of Connecticut and through the dark corners of everywhere on a path of poetry that is as disturbingly comical as it is frighteningly sincere. From the harsh reality of the book's title poem to the light-hearted look at the downfalls of being an artist in "Broke", the reader leaves each page as though they sneaked a look at a friend's diary - but without the guilt.
Paperback, 40 pages
Published by: Wasteland Press
Publication date: February, 2003
ISBN: 0972918639
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