I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
In the book Faraway Tables, author and poet Eric D. Goodman shares a collection of poetry that showcases a world both familiar and just out of reach.
The Synopsis
Faraway Tables is a mesmerizing collection of poetry that captures the monumental and the mundane with eloquent precision. Written largely during the Covid pandemic, these poems are imbued with a reflective depth that explores the essence of human experience—ranging from the personal to the geopolitical.
The Review
What a powerful and engaging collection of poems! The author expertly crafts each poem to stand alone and add to the collective nature of life’s journey and what it means to be human. The imagery and tone each poem strikes with the reader will leave a lasting impact, and the poems do a remarkable job of connecting the reader to the poet’s intent and experiences overall.
The emotional connection with the poems and the overall themes became the heart of this collection. The author perfectly delves into social commentary on everything from the Pandemic to the war between Russia and Ukraine and the more personal, mundane aspects of daily life that speak of the love and connection we form in those everyday moments. The collection is written in a way that readers of all backgrounds can relate to and connect with, speaking to an accessibility that is sometimes missing from other collections that resonate here.
The Verdict
Memorable, honest, and passionately written author Eric D Goodman’s “Faraway Tables” is a must-read poetry collection. The way the poems evoke a strong emotional response, and the relatability of each poem’s message or theme will draw in many readers seeking to find a profound way of speaking to the experiences so many people have had in recent years. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Eric D. Goodman lives and writes in Maryland. He’s the author of six previously published books of fiction. More than a hundred of his short stories, articles, and travel stories have been published in literary journals, magazines, and periodicals. Eric’s recent poetry has been featured in more than twenty publications, including Gargoyle Magazine and The Main Street Rag.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author and poet Randi-Lee Bowslaugh’s book Thoughts of a Warrior contains a collection of poetry meant to inspire and help those struggling with depression overcome that feeling.
The Synopsis
This is the follow-up poetry book to Thoughts of a Wanderer. The poems depict climbing out of a deep depression to take back a life that was felt to be meaningless.
Tears, heartache, trauma and depression.
Is life worth it? That is the question.
Making no more concession,
It is time to take possession.
Enjoy the passionate poems that show we should never give up on ourselves and our life. Each poem is accompanied by a nature photo bringing the beauty of world and words to life.
The Review
It is a genuinely emotional and heartfelt read. The reader can instantly feel how personal and brave this work is for the author, and each poem becomes a piece of her heart laid bare. The progression of each poem does a remarkable job of showcasing the authentic struggles with depression and the fight it takes to overcome those struggles daily. It is never a straight line to recovery, but the setbacks and struggles only strengthen a person’s resolve.
The poem that stuck out to me instantly was Dear Future Me, which allowed us to picture our futures while still struggling with the voices of doubt in our minds. The fight to imagine a future is sometimes a struggle for those suffering from depression, and the inner voice that one must work through was perfectly illustrated in that poem. The theme and message behind mental health and the willpower to seek out help and acknowledge it was a great reminder as well, really honing in on the poet’s journey.
The Verdict
Memorable, honest, and engaging author Randi-Lee Bowslaugh’s “Thoughts of a Warrior” is a must-read poetry collection. The power to stand up for mental health and acknowledge the need to care for and grow that circle of protection everyone needs in their lives, and the acknowledgment that while things are different for everyone and mental health can be overwhelming to overcome, finding the strength to overcome it all can be achieved. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy on December 7th, 2024 or preorder your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Randi-Lee was born and raised in Ontario, Canada and from a young age she had a passion for helping others. She attended Niagara College and graduated at the top of her class from Community and Justice Services after completing her placement at a recovery house for alcohol and drug addictions. Post-graduation she worked at a Native Friendship Centre for two and a half years while pursuing a university education in psychology. Randi-Lee continued working in social services for another four years as an employment counselor until she left to pursue her other passions.
In 2017 Randi published her first book about mental health awareness and from there knew that this was her dream. Since then she has continued writing and expanding the genres that she writes.
Another of Randi-Lee’s passions is kickboxing, which she did for over 10 years. She was a Canadian National Champion in 2015, competed at the World’s kickboxing tournament later that year and in 2016 competed at the Pan-Am games where she received silver in her division. In 2020 she was chosen as one of the coaches for the Ontario Winter Games where she inspired and coached young athletes.
While she isn’t working, she is spending time with her two teenage children and a grand-baby. Randi tries to speak honestly and openly about her struggles with her own mental health and as a parent – wanting to ensure that no one feels alone.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
TRIGGER WARNING: Content in these poems deals with themes of self-harm, including unaliving oneself. Reader discretion is advised.
Author and poet LindaAnn LoSchiavo shares an honest and heartfelt collection of poems directed at a personal loss from suicide in the book “Felones de se.”
The Synopsis
With a sprinkling of dark humor and a full measure of
compassion, “Felones de Se: Poems about Suicide” is
surprising, quirky, and a riveting read. Inspired by actual
suicides, one of them a blood relative, these poems are
resonant, impossibly moving, bittersweet, and strange.
The Review
While a touchy, heartbreaking, and taboo subject, the poet in this book skillfully captures the depth of emotion and confusion that often surrounds the taking of one’s life. The honest depiction of both those who take this action and those left behind in the wake of those decisions will resonate with many people affected by this real-life tragedy. The author captures the complexity and heart surrounding this subject in such a short amount of time.
What stays with the reader the most is the beautiful prose for which the author writes and the stories behind these poems. The collection ranges from personal experiences with a lost loved one to national cases that captured the public eye and more. The artful way the author uses imagery in the writing style of this collection and the haunting dive into the mindset and emotional wave that takes over in those moments will stay with the reader.
The Verdict
Haunting, moving, and engaging, author LindaAnn LoSchiavo’s “Felones de se” is a must-read chapbook and poetry collection. The author’s skill in writing this collection and the sensitive yet honest depiction of this subject will stay with the reader, and the emotional weight will be felt long after the book ends. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Native New Yorker LindaAnn LoSchiavo, a four time nominee for The Pushcart Prize, has also been nominated for Best of the Net, the Rhysling Award, and Dwarf Stars. She is a member of British Fantasy Society, HWA, SFPA, and The Dramatists Guild.
Books: “A Route Obscure and Lonely” [Elgin Award winner, Wapshott Press]; “Women Who Were Warned” [Cerasus Poetry, 2022], “Messengers of the Macabre” [Audience Askew, 2022, co-written with David Davies], “Vampire Ventures” [Alien Buddha Press, 2023], “Felones de Se: Poems about Suicide” [Ukiyoto Publishing, 2024], “Apprenticed to the Night” [UniVerse Press, 2024], and “Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems” [Wild Ink, 2024], winner of The Chrysalis BREW Award for Excellence.
In 2023, her poetry placed as a finalist in Thirty West Publishing’s “Fresh Start Contest” and in the 8th annual Stephen DiBiase contest.
LoSchiavo is a Prohibition Era historian and her Texas Guinan film won “Best Feature Documentary” at N.Y. Women’s Film Fest (Dec. 2021).
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author and poet Lynda Monahan shares a powerful collection of poetry in honor of the people who contend with mental health on a daily basis in the collection “The Door at the End of Everything”.
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The Synopsis
Written while Lynda Monahan was hospital writer-in-residence at the Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert, working often on the adult and youth mental health wards, the tight, pared poems in The Door at the End of Everything give voice to and honour those living with mental illness, speaking to not only the suffering but also the courage and hope that is so clearly there as well.
Several of the poems and poetry sequences have seen publication in various literary journals, including Grain, The Society, The New Quarterly, Transition, Bareback, and Dalhousie Review, and in the poetry anthologies Writing Menopause (Inanna Publications), Lummox Anthology of Canadian Poetry, Worth More Standing (Caitlin Press), the Apart pandemic anthology (Saskatchewan Writers Guild), and Line Dance (Burton House Books), and in various tanka publications such as Atlas Poetica, A Hundred Gourds, and Gusts. A series of online readings from this collection, created with the help of a Canada Council grant, are available on YouTube.
The Review
What a profound and heartbreaking read! The author captures the voice and trauma of these individuals who suffer through and endure the pain of mental health trauma. The visceral nature of the poems’ themes and the thought-provoking imagery in the author’s writing style paint a picture of the turmoil so many feel inside, to the point that these feelings feel almost personified in the writing itself.
The emotional core of these poems and the powerful themes made this book what it is today: moving. The writing was indeed illuminating, as it allowed readers not only to feel and understand the internal struggles of so many people and the tragic reasoning for so many who make the hard decisions that impact their lives and the lives they leave behind, but it also allowed readers to see the promise of hope for those who fight through those struggles and search for the means of internal peace, in this case through the beauty and serenity of nature itself.
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The Verdict
Overall, this was a moving and heartfelt read. The author did a brilliant job of capturing the heart and the passion that so many feel for developing this need to further the cause of mental health awareness. The imagery and atmosphere that the author creates through these poems and the emotional themes that the author explores make this a pivotal book that readers should return to time and time again. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Dune Stewart shares a personal journey of tackling depression, anxiety and identity through powerful personal narrative and poetry in the collection “A Journey of Perspective (GROWTH)”.
The Synopsis
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**A Journey of Perspective** by Dune Stewart is an evocative exploration of the human spirit, captured through a powerful blend of poetry and personal narrative. Written during a time of deep introspection, this collection delves into the raw emotions of depression, anxiety, and the search for identity. Stewart’s words paint a vivid picture of the struggles and triumphs that define our lives, offering readers a chance to see the world through the lens of someone who has faced darkness and found the strength to rise above it.
From poignant reflections on love and loss to candid discussions about mental health, Stewart’s journey is one of resilience, creativity, and self-discovery. This book is not just a collection of poems—it’s a testament to the enduring human spirit and the belief that even in our most challenging moments, there is always hope.
*A Journey of Perspective* is a must-read for anyone seeking solace in their struggles, inspiration in their journey, and a reminder that we are never truly alone.
The Review
This was such a personal and heartfelt collection of poetry. The imagery and raw nature of the collection allowed the reader to view the journey that the author took to heal and find himself amidst the issues he was facing. The relatability and honesty that the author and poet conveyed in these poems will strike a harmonious chord with readers who are facing similar situations as the author.
What stood out was how the author’s writing style came across as a balance of stream-of-consciousness with artistic flair. The author was able to bring powerful themes of mental health struggles, body image struggles, and depression to these poems without being too on the nose with them. This allowed the reader to feel the raw emotions of the poems and the notes of hope that are peppered throughout the book, bringing a sense of inspiration.
The Verdict
Thoughtful, engaging, and memorable poetry, author Dune Stewart’s “A Journey of Perspective (Growth)” is a must-read poetry collection. The hopeful tone and the relatability of the author’s struggles and achievements when dealing with mental health made this a personal and promising read. If haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
I wrote my first book thinking I was becoming a recluse as a result of feeling lonely, but it quickly changed once I harnessed my energy into the act of writing poetry. I found myself beginning to regain who I had lost, and I will always be grateful for the craft.
In addition, I am a professional photographer, podcast host, and twitch streamer. You can find my photography at Dune Stewart Photography, my podcast at Do You Like Ice Cream? : An Artist Podcast, and my twitch profile at R2DUNE2.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author and poet LindaAnn LoSchiavo share a collection of poems that will explore the reimagining of true crimes and injustices through a Halloween lens in the collection “Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems.”
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The Synopsis
Trick or treat twisted with treachery.
Haunting and harrowing visions of All Hallows’ Eve here include horrific crimes committed on October 31st, a honeymoon homicide, mysterious witches, amorous vampires, dead serious poltergeists, along with a pageant of autumnal imagery sure to evoke goosebumps beyond the spooky season. Wearing the cunning costume of a Hallowe’en poetry collection, 24 poems reimagine macabre true crimes and explore injustices brought to life by original artwork.
The Review
What a powerful and remarkable read. The author did a wonderful job of balancing themes of horror and the supernatural with true crime and historical injustice against women. The imagery (both the original illustrations and the imagery in the author’s writing) allowed the reader to be transported instantly into these poetic stories. The infusion of so many styles of poetry, from the almost Shakespearean retelling of the legend of Sleepy Hollow to the modern-day examination of Dracula’s social media presence, allowed the reader to be entertained while tapping into an emotional wellspring that horror and poetry fans can enjoy.
There were many powerful moments found in this book that spoke to the Halloween fan in all of us, as well as the meaningful moments in history when women fell victim to everything from fear to crimes, both social and personal. One great example that was a favorite of mine was Hetty Green, the Witch of Wall Street, showcasing how women are often misrepresented in life whenever they succeed where men have failed. The power of these poems and the way they illustrate how horror often mirrors real life made this a powerful collection.
The Verdict
Heartfelt, highly creative, and entertaining author LindaAnn LoSchiavo’s “Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems” is a must-read collection of poetry this fall. The incredible imagery and haunting presence each poem brings will keep readers coming back to this book time and time again. If you haven’t yet, preorder your copy today or get your copy on October 1st, 2024!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Native New Yorker LindaAnn LoSchiavo, a four time nominee for The Pushcart Prize, has also been nominated for Best of the Net, the Rhysling Award, and Dwarf Stars. She is a member of SFPA, The British Fantasy Society, and The Dramatists Guild.
Elgin Award winner “A Route Obscure and Lonely” (US: Wapshott Press, 2019), “Women Who Were Warned” (UK: Cerasus Poetry, 2022), Firecracker Award, Balcones Poetry Prize, Quill and Ink, Paterson Poetry Prize, and IPPY Award nominee “Messengers of the Macabre” [co-written with David Davies] (US: Audience Askew, 2022), “Apprenticed to the Night” (UK: UniVerse Press, 2023), and “Felones de Se: Poems about Suicide” (Canada: Ukiyoto Publishing, 2023) are her latest poetry titles.
In 2023, her poetry placed as a finalist in Thirty West Publishing’s “Fresh Start Contest” and in the 8th annual Stephen DiBiase contest.
LoSchiavo is a Prohibition Era historian and her Texas Guinan film won “Best Feature Documentary” at N.Y. Women’s Film Fest (Dec. 2021).
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author and poet Lynne Thompson shares a tapestry of experiences and emotions from women going through life in the book “Blue on a Blue Palette”.
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The Synopsis
Lynne Thompson’s Blue on a Blue Palette reflects on the condition of women—their joys despite their histories, and their insistence on survival as issues of race, culture, pandemic, and climate threaten their livelihoods.
The documentation of these personal odysseys—which vary stylistically from abecedarians to free verse to centos—replicate the many ways women travel through the stages of their lives, all negotiated on a palette encompassing various shades of blue. These poems demand your attention, your voice: “Say history. Claim. Say wild.”
The Review
My first reaction to this masterful collection of poetry was honest and emotional. The vivid imagery in the author’s writing style elevated the passion and themes of these poems greatly, allowing the reader to immerse themselves in the culture and experiences the author conveyed throughout this collection.
The history and ideas that the author confronted in this book were powerful to read. To begin with, the collection tackled everything from racism and sexism to the culture surrounding womanhood and what it means to be a woman. It infused a mixture of humor, wit, and thought-provoking discussion to help showcase the struggle and experiences so many women, including women of color, have had to endure for centuries.
The Verdict
Memorable, honest, and engaging author Lynne Thompson’s “Blue on a Blue Palette” is a must-read poetry collection. The emotion and heart with which the author spoke and the insight that these poems provide for these particular experiences made this collection readers will return to time and time again. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Lynne Thompson served as the 2021-22 Poet Laureate for the City of Los Angeles and received a Laureate Fellowship from the Academy of American Poets in 2022. She received her BA from Scripps College and a JD from Southwestern School of Law. After practicing law for many years, Thompson served as the Director of Labor and Employee Relations at the University of California, Los Angeles, for twenty years. Her fourth collection of poems, Blue on A Blue Palette, was published by BOA Editions in April 2024. She’s also the author of Beg No Pardon, winner of the Perugia Press Book Prize in 2007 and the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s New Writers Award in 2008, Start With a Small Guitar (What Books Press, 2013) and Fretwork (Marsh Hawk Books, 2019). A recipient of the George Drury Smith Award for Achievement in Poetry in 2023, she has also received fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center, Summer Literary Series (Kenya), and the City of Los Angeles. Thompson sits on the Boards of Cave Canem, The Poetry Foundation, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and Scripps College where she recently completed a four-year term as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Thompson lives in Los Angeles, California.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I have been an academic for almost 40 years, teaching in MFA programs all during that time. I did spend a decade as an industrial painter before I started university teaching, but teaching and writing are what I know best. I’ve been publishing poems in books and/or periodicals for forty years, as well. I became a poet accidentally, really. In sixth or seventh grade I had a teacher named Irma Schiele who saw some talent in me after doing a class metaphor clustering exercise. She had me stay after class and told me to go home, write a poem and have it on her desk in the morning. I did that. She marked it with an A in red ink and said write me another one. That was perhaps 55 years ago, and I have just kept at it. There were times when I concentrated on song lyrics or prose, but I have been writing poetry since that day in grade school.
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What inspired you to write your book?
Writing books is just what I do.Although there are some older poems in it, most of the book was written in a five-year period between the publication of Readiness and Knowing. That’s probably a constant for me in terms of time. It takes between four and five years for a book to take shape. I revisit and revise heavily. When I was compiling my selected and new poems, Sorrow Bread, I very much had my three children in mind. I felt that I was leaving them a record of exactly who their father was. I feel the same way about many of the poems in Knowing. “Gasoline” is a complex poem that offers a perspective on the divorce that helped shape them. The poems that reference them like “The Song that Never Ends” and “Wonderbread” are particularly dear to my heart.
What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I don’t feel it is my job to teach an audience something. I have no expectations of them. It is my job to share my experience, my psychic truth, as best I can with the hope that others might find some value in it. Poetry accomplishes varied things. It connects, it consoles, it challenges, it provokes, and so on. I guess my hope is that my poems connect with readers on the basic human level, making my perspectives known. Knowing, at its core, is about living comfortably with three facts we know for sure. That is, living involves loss, insists on change and ends in death. These constants give value to all human relationships, be they with other people or matters of the spirit. In this sense, the book is as much about not knowing as it is about knowing
What drew you into this particular genre?
Well, I answered this partially above. However, I became devoted to poetry because being a poet is a way of life, a way of being in, and interacting with, the world. Poetry is a demanding art. One learns to accept failure and understand that it is the ongoing process of failing that makes a few limited successes possible. You learn to undertake and enjoy the process of writing for its own sake and the perspective it gives you about your life experience.
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What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I am afraid I am pretty old school when it comes to social media; that is, I don’t have a clue! I do have an Instagram account that was helpful in announcing this latest book. And this blog tour the book is on is something very new to me. I hope it will help the book find new readers.
What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
We writers talk a lot about finding our voices, our authenticity. But I think the important thing is to worry about listening as opposed to speaking. We have to listen to, and trust, our inner voice–pay attention to the ways in which we perceive and experience the world. We need to discover innate patterns, recognize them as such, then be able to question and alter those filters for personal and creative evolution. I would also encourage writers to see themselves as artists and as part of that larger world of creative exploration and expression. Engage all the other arts seriously and learn what you can from them. Within writing, this is true of genre, as well. Don’t limit your exposure to one genre. Engage writing of all kinds as both a reader and practitioner.
What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I have started some poems toward an eighth volume of poetry, but I am mostly working on a screenplay right now. Narrative comes naturally to me. I’ve found I have a knack for understanding the pacing of screenwriting. I enjoy it very much.
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About the Author
Mark Cox has authored six other volumes of poetry, the most recent being Readiness (2018) and Sorrow Bread: Poems 1984-2015 (2017). He has a forty-year history of publication in prominent magazines and his honors include a Whiting Writers Award, a Pushcart Prize, the Oklahoma Book Award, and The Society of Midland Authors Poetry Prize. He chairs the Department of Creative Writing at UNC Wilmington and teaches in the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Program.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author and poet Mark Cox shares the best and worst of the human condition through the poetry collection, “Knowing”.
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The Synopsis
Mark Cox pulls no punches in these candid poems about family, relationships, loss, regret, growing older and our human condition, generally. “Looking back for a low point marking the worst of my insobriety, it might be that signal moment I put out my cigarette in the holy water font of St. Paul’s Catholic church, right in front of the priest, I might add. . . ” Sometimes wry, sometimes tender, always honest and thought provoking, this is the seventh volume of poetry from a lauded veteran poet who has been publishing prominently for almost forty years.
The Review
What immediately stands out from the author’s work is the honesty and depth with which they delve into the themes of this collection. The self-reflection and almost story-like writing style allow the reader to be drawn into each poem, and the author holds no punches as they bring the truth behind each theme that so many readers can identify with.
The themes that the author explores are truly remarkable. The poem True North, for instance, delves into the struggles and downfalls of insobriety, hitting when a person hits rock bottom or comes to see in themselves the narrow path they had put themselves on. Themes of family, divorce, grief, and loss all roll together, connecting the reader with the author profoundly.
The Verdict
Memorable, heartfelt, and honest author Mark Cox’s “Knowing” is a must-read poetry collection. The diverse nature of the themes and the compelling sense of empathy that the poems instill in the reader will stay with them long after the book’s final page. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
MARK COX has authored six other volumes of poetry, the most recent being Readiness (2018) and Sorrow Bread: Poems 1984-2015 (2017). He has a forty-year history of publication in prominent magazines and his honors include a Whiting Writers’ Award, a Pushcart Prize, the Oklahoma Book Award, and The Society of Midland Authors Poetry Prize. He chairs the Department of Creative Writing at UNC Wilmington and teaches in the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Program.
