Poetry Books

FABULOUS! I loved this book of poems written by ten different women. They make it easy for you to feel the joy, desire, pain and humor they've experienced. It connected with my soul.

This cozy book by 10 diverse and talented ladies is a comfortable, intimate read. It provokes thoughts, makes you smile, makes you feel and think about many things. i especially liked Sandy Fackler's 'Green Beads', which evokes poignant childhood memories that many must share.

Anyone over thirty has to relate to P. Diane Truswell's, "Competition Circa 1957," the things women have done to recognize themselves or others. The "how" is different now but the "why" is still the same. "The Dance," by Mary L. Kling speaks for all of us less than gifted wanna-be dancers, ball players, singers, etc. and the people or things that stand in our way. Humor, sorrow, quick and elongated; all the poems in ON WINGS OF WORDS merit one read, or two, or three......

What a wonderful experience!! Loved reading it! These women have truly done a marvelous job of writing what is in women's hearts. They are wonderful. I hope and pray there will be more. Thank you!

Although the book was small, it did pack quite a punch. These ladies seem to write directly from the heart. Many of the passages left you wanting to know more but before long you were relating the topics to things that have happened in your own life. I would recommend the book to all and would hope that there will be more books to follow.

My wife is a text book writer and has found this gift text to be quite valuable. Recommended

Those are the bitter pills of civilization. Like other bitter pills, they have great healing power. As a matter of fact, if the World took more notice of those pearls of wisdom, produced by outstanding minds, from Heraclitus to the Huxleys, policies might be less absurd and mass actions less disastrous than they actually are.

The book is dark verging on sardonic, reflecting the dark, sardonic nature of the best epigrams of our age. I was inspired to respond in the margins to a number of them, and I can't think of a better response to epigrams in general, than for them to get under your prickly skin to the extent that you might write your own ironic counterstatements. Bloodshed begets bloodshed, and so we might say (ironically) that this sort of bitterness begets bitterness. But it may very well be the most brilliant bitterness you've known.

Some of my favorite quotes with my responses--representative in the extreme:

"Where they burn books they will also in the end burn human bodies"--Heine, <>, 1823

"Where they burn human beings, they will also, in the end, burn the wrong book"--Eucaleh Terrapin

"A secret may sometimes be best kept by keeping the secret of its being a secret"--Sir Henry Taylor, <>, 1823

"Thus the wisest proverb is common sense"--Eucaleh Terrapin

"Freedom produces jokes, and jokes produce freedom"--Jean Paul Richter, Introduction to Aesthetics, 1823

"But to be witty is to be serious about other comedians"--Eucaleh Terrapin

John Gross has compliled an excellent collection of the best aphorisms into a nicely accessible framework. The book is arranged by chapters reflecting everything from "Nature" to "The Afterlife." This arrangement works well as a path to pursue the great thoughts that philosophers, psychologists, and aphorists have written about the areas that most commonly provoke interest. The book has an outstanding index and an insightful introduction from Gross in which he expresses his regret about not having beem able to obtain permission to include the observations of Wittgenstein. As Vauvenargues wrote in 1746, "Men's maxims reveal their characters," and one of the great values in this collection is that it juxtaposes what others have said by subject area, juxtaposing what the famous thinkers here included remarked on the same subjects. The cover of this volume displays an explosive rocket, appropriately enough. The anti-religious elements are especially entertaining, as it is always fun to see the response to the groveling aspects of Christian orthodoxy. Highly recommended.

Like most collections of aphorisms this one is rich in helpful thoughts. These thoughts inspire and give birth to new thoughts. 1) Aphorisms of others ideally inspire aphorisms of our own.
2) Aphorisms help make our minds more interesting.
3) It is senseless to read too many aphorisms at once
4) A little here a little there, aphoristic pleasure everywhere.
5) A good aphorism is one you want to tell someone else.

'Petals of Life' was an amazing emotional tribute to the pains of our world. So many people survive what you have been through and never share their story. Thank you for giving an insight to those of us who have no idea. I feel enlightened and yet bewildered by what seems to be some things so tragically widespread. Poetry is something that not everyone can pull off, and you have done an amazing job conveying emotions and telling a story in each piece. After reading 'Petals of Life' I feel like I know you. I am excitedly awaiting your next book. My prayers and best wishes go out to you and your family. Thanks again!

Review of Petals of Life By: Candice Martin
ISBN# 1-4241-1494-2
Anyone who is serious about poetry, as a writer or reader should have this book. While the technical student of poetry may feel some of the poems are of a simple rhythmatic style, certainly this thought is quickly forgotten once we realize the subject matter. Candice M. Martin gives her all in this vulnerable collection, which portrays what the skill of writing poetry is really all about. This book displays a rare combination of beauty and power. The beauty that lies in the telling of raw and blunt truths. The power to change lives, to shed light on a seldom viewed, but common experience, the experience of victimhood and of recovery.

This book is for those who are students of poetry and for those concerned about the subject of abuse. This book gives a voice to women who have been denied a hearing by our culture.
Ms. Martin shows uncommon courage in facing that pain, and in allowing the reader to begin to share some understanding of her experience. I recommend this book to all survivors-men and women-and to those who work with survivors of abuse, and to all who share their lives in any way.

This book contains a great variety of poems - something for everyone. The Author has a gift for exposing life's problems in a personal way. She gives one the feeling that she has "been there." She also touches on the bright side of life with an expression of tenderness in her poetic views of love and life.

A definite buy - a keep sake. I give this a 5 Star Rating.

A Brilliant Collection! A Real Collection!

When you first look at "Petals Of Life : A Survivor's Writings" by : Candice M. Martin you walk into a world unknown. Or at least I did. You come out of that world in total shock. Emotional and vamped, this collection of poetry rips at your emotional scenes and makes your eyes bleed of tears. Powerful and emotional to places so high and unthinkable, this book is a book that I will read over and over and over...

When you think of petals, you think of beauty, innocence,
genteel in nature, something that is precious. Between the
lines of hurt and pain, I find beauty, courage, strength,
hope, and inspiration. It echoes, "I'm still here!" and "I
have a story to tell." Candice is a "bootstrapper" who reaches
deep into your soul to stir, to impact. She shows that pain,
suffering, abuse, and heartaches can't stop a heart that has
fortitude and is welded by love.

Some of the poems that resonates for me are, "Acceptance",
"Only", "Diamonds and Hearts", "Love's Rejoice", "Gentle Rain
No More", "Heart Whispers", "Moments of Happiness", and "The
Measurement of Strength". I'm sure you will find, as I have,
that this book leaves soul-healing imprints. It is a must buy,
must read. Simply stated: Powerful.
~ Pier Tyler, author of "Abstract" and "I Have Arrived"

This flowing book of poetry is so enjoyable that you might want to read it in one sitting. The beginning has the beautiful language of pomegrantes, figs, and nature. At "Bach's Concerto No. 1 in C Minor" (210) the true feeling that this is great poetry dawned on me. And the poetic craft became better, too, through "The Bees" (217), "Straw-Blond" (243), and "Things I Didn't Know I Loved" (261). These poems progress through decades of his life and reach their peak in his maturity.

I was introduced to Hikmet through his poem, "Things I didn't know I loved". On the strength of this poem, I picked up this collection. I was tremendously suprised to find that there are many, many more poems that beautifully and powerfully express Hikmet's relishment of life, of love and the constant frustration he experienced as an exile.

His politics are a constant thread throughout many of his poems, as is his optimism in the future - in spite of being imprisioned and separated from his wife, his son and eventually his country. It is his passion for living, however, that struck me most powerfully. "Because of You", "On the Matter of Romeo and Juliet" and "This Journey" are among my favorites (and are among my favorites of ANY poet.)

If you own only two books of poetry, this should be one of them. (The other, in my opinion, should be anything by Rilke, but that is my taste.) Hikmet's words are exquisite and sublime. Highly recommended.

It's hard to express in words just how wonderful and beautiful Hikmet's poetry is - intimate, honest, uncompromising, gently humorous, filled with longing and hope and refusing to let despair triumph in spite of outward circumstances. In other words, profoundly human.

I don't think he'd mind if I quoted his poem "Hello":

HELLO

Nazim, what happiness
that, open and confident, you can say "Hello"
from the bottom of your heart!

The year is 1940.
The month, July.
The day is the first Thursday of the month.
The hour: 9.

Date your letters in detail this way.
We live in such a world
that the month, day, and hour
speak volumes.

Hello, everybody.

To say a big
fat "Hello"
and then, without finishing my sentence,
to look at you with a smile
- sly and gleeful -
and wink. . .

We're such perfect friends
that we understand each other
without words or writing. . .

Hello, everybody,
hello to all of you. . .


(translated from the Turkish by Randy Blasing & Mutlu Konuk; published by Persea books)

Thank you, translators, for bringing this wonderful poet to English readers. From the bottom of my heart - thank you and hello!

A poet of great humanity, great compasion, a believer in the human race in spite of having been in jail from many years, as well as been exiled by the Turkish leaders. refreshing and immediate, poetry for everyone, simple and strong.

Does not matter how good the translation is, it is not comparable to the original work. Nazim Hikmet is world's one of the great poets, but what makes him special really is the way he uses Turkish.

This is a great book if you are new to home education. You have questions and people who know you probably have questions.

Read it chapter by chapter or use it as a resource to look up different questions by topic. Wonderful answers written clearly and concisely.

This book is well organized, fun to read, inspirational, and educational!
I recommend this book for anyone thinking about homeschooling or already homeschooling as it has so much good information inside!
Thank you, Ms. Davis!

Hello. When my husband and I decided to homeschool our 4 children (2 were of school age at the time) we received less than enthusiastic reactions. Most of the family opened with "I don't approve of that." or "I think that's just wrong." That was in Spring of 2005.

Recently, I found this fabulous book. How I wish I'd had it back when I made the announcement! Since reading the book myself, I have purchased the book for 4 family members. Our community is one of the best for homeschoolers, so there's more social opportunities than they had in public school. I've found that many of the questions in this book are things that people want to ask, but don't think of or know how to ask.

Today, most of the family still thinks we are wrong for our choice, but 1 has come around, my mom. However, occassionally I still get asked, "honey, wouldn't it be easier to send them to school?" The answer is "yes, but as parents it's our job to do what's right, not what's easy."

Buy this book, read it, share it. There are things you don't know, even if you've been homeschooling for a while. This isn't a heavy book, but a realistic collection of the most common questions about this amazing journey.

This is a great book to help give you great food for thought to answer the question the title asks, which happens all the time if you decide home-schooling is for you. Loved it!

I just finished reading this book and have to say it is very good. Although I already know "why" I chose to homeschool, she reaffirms the decision for me. She makes some excellent points, and she has the facts and statistics that back it up for those doubters out there.

This is an amazing first hand account of the horrors of the Holocaust. Very candidly, Magda shares about what happened to her, her family and loved ones, as the unbelievable events of the world unfolded in the early 1940's. As a survivor of the tragedy, she proclaims her faith in God, and the hope of being reunited with her family and friends as the unseen strengths that kept her alive, and brought her through. She has made it her purpose and calling in life to make others aware of the reality of what happened, and she does a great job issuing a warning of the capabilities of what humans can do if evil is allowed to reign in their hearts.

My praise for this book! A must read!

I've known Magda Herzberger almost 30 years and during that time I saw in her compassion, a love of life, an intellect and a strong heroic desire to be a voice and tell what happened to 6 million Jews in Hitler's death camps of Auschwitz, Bremen and Bergen-Belsen. She can be that voice because she was there from 1944 to 1945.

"Survival" begins with 18 year old Magda writing about her loving family, mother, father and aunts and uncles. It is memories of these peaceful and happy days that will help Magda in the death camps where horror, humiliation and cruelty reign.

To write this book Magda had to summon all the horrors she endured in the camps back into her conscious mind and relive them. While writing the book, she endured many nightmares as she summoned the grisly past to the present. To continue on writing this autobiography is a tribute to her courage.

She writes she was shipped with thousands of other Jews jammed into cattle cars that would take them to the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In her book, she takes us through a week by week account of the "work" assigned to her in the camp. Death was next to her every moment. The daily living was so abhorrent that many of the women found themselves in deep depression and committed suicide. Magda's strong belief in the Almighty kept her from doing the same. The reader will see how Magda uses many different positive thinking techniques to keep her sanity.

The reader will find a book that gives living testament to what it was like in the camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the streets of bombed Bremen and finally, the trip to the camp of starvation in Bergen Belsen.

This book begins with a wholesome, loving teenager who is snatched along with her family and other Jews to arrive at a death camps and end a year later with an emaciated woman with her arms wrapped around a birch tree coming to terms with death knowing it is not far away.

This is not to be her end. She does find happiness.

I think this book should be in every library, school, and book store.

Survival

This is not just another Holocaust book. Magda's story is a slap in the face to the "historians" and racists who deny that the Holocaust ever took place. But this book is so much more than a historical document; it is the story about one woman's courageous life, and a life that has been lived to the full.

I had the pleasure of hearing Magda share her story at our Messianic Congregation. Magda is willing to share her story with both Christians and Messianic Jews because she loves God and loves people. She is a bundle of energy, and if you ever get the chance to see her in person, I would highly recommend that you do so.

The book seems to fly by as we see the life of Magda transition from a happy, athletic child to a left-for-dead survivor, to her development into vibrant adulthood. The part where she is re-united with her mother is priceless; Magda's mother saved a change of clothes and some chocolates in case her daughter would ever return, and Baruch HaShem she did. Magda is also a poet, and she has many poems mixed in; one that stuck me in particular was one she recited when she thought she would die near the camps. The poem is a chilling reminder of the powerful emotions one would feel at that time when normal words cannot adequately explain our emotions.

What I really loved about her work, oral and written, is that she has a wonderful balance of remembrance and hope. She does not forget or ignore the past, but neither does she let it impede her. We remember the horror, but we also get to hear about how after the war she went to medical college, found the love of her life (recently celebrating 60 years of marriage), and became a poet and an inspirational speaker.

This book is important for both Jews and Christians to read. Both will walk away blessed. But also to those who feel that there is no hope in the world, this is a great example to demonstrate the opposite. Don't miss an opportunity to see what one woman did who was described as "saved by God." It will warm your heart.

This is a must read for Jews and non Jews alike. For Jews, to reinforce the motto "NEVER AGAIN" and for all non Jews so that they may understand. It took only a few years of indoctrination by the Nazis for a people to learn to hate a culture and religion so intensely. They were able to justify the denegration, torture and murder of millions of Jews Gypseys and others. One may wonder how much worse it may become for us, Jews and non Jews alike, in today's world where children are studying the same hateful rhetoric in madrasses (sp)...but for years and years. Enough hate and vitriol so that they are willing to give up their lives in order to murder innnocent people. I had to put this book down periodically because it so clearly illustrated "man's inhumanity to man". I am personally acquainted with Magda. She is wonderful, incredibly resiliant human being. There is a glow in her face and demeanor. Her father's message of "FAITH, LOVE & HOPE...foregiveness and tolerance...no mater what happens" is almost impossible to imagine under those circumstances...but if Magda can do it...maybe...we all can.

"Survival" is chilling! The contents give grizly details of three Nazi prison camps.But Magda Herzberger's superb ability to pen her thoughts takes the reader throuh her journey of awe and wonderment that led to her hell-hole of nearly unsurvivable torture.And then she brings us back to the real world.
When I read about Magda's background [ off a well connected family with above average attitudes to make a positive difference in their community],I mentally engaged in that same strength.The when I read how she was shoved into the brink of near insanity,I felt her deep dark pain,and at the same time,I appreciated her tender-hearted goodness throughout the book.I applaud the author's courage to spill her gut-wrenching experiences onto the printed page and show the reader how she maintained her God-loving dignity.
Magda does not give a world-involved view of the war;she writes her daily account from the frame of a teenager.She places the reader within her,so we experience the pain of her flesh and the light of her soul.Her prose throughout the book captures additional heart-felt thoughts that give support to her storyline.
I recommend his book for teenagers as well as adults.We can learn from Magda Herzberger;she doesn't live in a prison of unforgiveness;instead,she looks for life and lives it.I suggest we all take a thankful attitude for the air we breathe.

An excellent grouping of poems. They each reflect real life circumstances in today's busy world. I am pleased to be an integral part of my grandchildren's lives. As such, this book is quite relevant to circumstances that they could face as they grow up and out into a more independent world. Thanks Vickie for having the heart to tell it like it is. Your sensitivity and talent certainly shines through your work. You help us face and address so many of the current social ills!

Vickie,I will start off by saying your words,language and poetry are simply clear,down to earth and truly has a message.The only reason that I gave you 5 STARS is because there was no 10 on the board! My review may be quite different from your other wnderful reviews and that is because the reason that I said Divinely Awesome is because I do not understand God's Ways or Timing.I now know that He says that all things work together for His Good and purpose.I pray that every child,teenager,parent and also anyone that would like to have hope and press on and accomplish their purpose,would get your book and read it often.I really wish that I had mentors or someone when I was a hurting and confused child and teenager,to guide and direct me.I became a very angry and violent young woman that every poem in your short but very powerful book described with such clarity and humor.My prayer is that many more doors are open for you to help young people,which are our future to know that they will submit to someone for the rest of their lives,that they must develope character and that their gifts can take them but their character must KEEP them.They also will always have choices,there will always be consequences,they can continue to play the BLAME GAME and that they can choose to be BITTER OR BETTER BUT THEY CAN'T BE BOTH.Your words in each poem touched my soul and gave me hope in a way that you will never know on this side.I was the destructive child that grew up in a very violent home;chose all the negatives that lead to many addictions.I am now 52 yrs old,and the author of 'All Cracked Up" and at this stage i began to feel like giving up on my purpose to continue my triology of my books to help the youth,battered men and women,unhealthy relationship addicts,sex addicts,rageaholics,sucidal tendencies and eventually crack addicts.Why? because I became all of the above and more; I didn't have someone like you who cared enough to talk,write or show me the WAY and some how THE DIVINELY AWESOME GOD THAT CREATED ME and knew me before I was in my mother's womb;through all the rain,storms,fire ,trials and tragedies, He directed and kept me to tell my story from experiences to help someone.Now with all the mentors He has provided for me I am proud He added Vickie as a road model and mentor in this 52 year old woman's life.When the road gets hard as it has, I can read "The Trouble I See" and know to hold on,some more Help is on the way.Keep up the Awesome call and purpose on your life Vickie Lynn Wright Wilson!!! Again thank you with all my heart!

I really enjoyed this book and feel it can make an impact on the yougth of today. It is easy to read and in a language they can understand. The book projects prospectives of parents/adults and those of teenagers. The poems demonstrate deep feelings of concern, desires for sucess, christian principles, and provide situations of caution. The book should be promoted for parents and their children. The author has found a tool to make an impact on our society!.

A wonderful book of poetry!!! Ms. Wilson's concern for the well being of all children and her experience as a parent and teacher shine through in each poem. Congratulations on your debut. I look forward to reading your next piece of work.

Reminds us that it is still possible, at a time when irony and
cynicism are so much the fashion, to pay tribute to our greatest
asset 'our young teens', in teaching them to recognize 'failings
and failures', while being properly appreciative of virtues and
victories. If you need to read a single book to help save our
teens, 'THE TROUBLE I SEE' is it.

What sets this anthology apart from others on bad poetry is the quality and tone of the short editorial commentaries preceding each poet. These witty and elucidating notes enhance the enjoyment of the poetry. This anthology also seems to include the largest selection of what the editors of The Stuffed Owl anthology would call bad bad poets. Fred Emerson Brooks, for example, was noted for his partiality for writing in dialect, a crowd-pleasing late nineteenth century device. The Petras siblings include his "multicultural masterpiece" "Foreigners on Santa Claus" and his "particularly nauseating" baby talk poem "The New Baby." The latter qualifies for "The Worst Baby Talk Poem." Such stunningly awful examples of special bad poems are highlighted, labeled, and scattered throughout the text. Highly recommended even for serious readers!

Let's qualify this review with how much I love bad things. I spend most of my free time wondering incessantly about what the creator of such inconceivable nonsense had in mind. Why did you, Ms. Parrington, think it was okay to write a poem about a 'dissected dog'? Why, William McGonagall, do you think your "mastery" of poetic license should have no meter, no forward movement and incredibly bad rhyme schemes? And, what the heck do you say to "Ode on a Mammoth Cheese"??? All in all, the Petras did a magnificent job of putting this compendium of what-not-to-do-if-you-want-to-be-a-poet. And, don't we all want to be poets? Keep trying and maybe you will be in volume 2 of this excellent awfulness.

Great poets have their weak moments, but they tend to produce only the occasional bad line - say, for example, when William Wordsworth, one of England's greatest poets, wrote the unintentionally bawdy "Give me your tool, to him I said."

Very bad poets, however, "are perpetrators of a unique and fascinating kind of writing. Unlike the plainly bad or the merely mediocre, very bad poetry is powerful stuff. Like great literature, it moves us emotionally, but, of course, it often does so in ways the writer never intended: usually we laugh."

This book is dedicated to those writers, mostly from the 19th century, who excelled at very bad poetry with astonishing consistency. Those who were blessed, if that is the word, for their entire career with "a wooden ear for words, a penchant for sinking into a mire of sentimentality, a bullheaded inclination to stuff too many syllables or words into a line or a phrase, and an enviable confidence" that allowed them to write despite absolute appalling incompetence.

Here we find the awful metaphor ("the dew on my heart is undried and unshaken") and the tortured rhyme ("Gooing babies, helpless pygmies,/ Who shall solve your Fate's enigmas?") next to one of the most unappetizing titles for a love poem ever ("I Saw Her in Cabbage Time").

Some of the most hilarious effects are created by the attempt to dramatize the pedestrian, as in the "Ode on the Mammoth Cheese", aptly subtitled "Weighing over 7,000 pounds":

We have seen thee, queen of cheese,
Lying quietly at your ease,
Gently fanned by evening breeze,
Thy fair form no flies dare seize. (there are five more delicious stanzas)

Not quite as riotously funny, but interesting as a phenomenon of the 19th century, is the preoccupation of very bad poets with death. It produced tasteless marvels of what the editors labeled "tabloid verse" like:

Oh, Heaven! It was a frightful and pitiful sight to see
Seven bodies charred of the Jarvis family;
And Mrs. Jarvis was found with her child, and both carbonized,
And as the searchers gazed thereon they were surprised.

Another favorite of very bad poets is the use of bizarre words in blissful ignorance of their meaning or the common readers' associations. One of the most talented in this respect was one Amanda McKittrick Ros, "a writer with a gift for (as she puts it) 'disturbing the bowels.'" To her we owe the following lines written on the occasion of her visit of Westminster Abbey:

Holy Moses! Have a look!
Flesh decayed in every nook!
Some rare bits of brain lie here
Mortal loads of beef and beer
Some of whom are turned to dust, [only some?]
Every one bids lost to lust.

The editors' favorite worst poem ever written in the English language bears the title "A Tragedy" - which, indeed, it is. But I don't want to spoil the fun by quoting it here. My own favorite is an excerpt from "A Pindaresque on the Grunting of a Hog." Nothing describes the voice of a very bad poet better than the sounds this animal makes:

Harmonious Hog draw near!
No bloody Butchers here,
Thou need'st not fear.
Harmonious Hog draw near, and from thy beauteous Snowt,
Whilst we attend with Ear
Like thine prik't up devout,
To taste thy sugry Voice, which hear, and there,
With wanton Curls, Vibrates around the Circling Air,
Harmonious Hog! Warble some Anthem out!

Pindar, by the way, was the most famous lyric poet of ancient Greece. He lived in the 5th century BC and saw himself as a poet dedicated to preserving and interpreting great deeds and their divine values.

Another famous ancient Greek author ("Sing, o muse, the wrath of Achilles ...") inspired a very bad poet to what is perhaps the worst line of poetry ever written without satiric intent: "Now, Muse, let's sing of rats." In fact, the poet changed the last word from the original "mice" to "rats" because he found "rats" more dignified.

Bad poetry is one of life's greatest illicit joys, and there are some real gems here, along with much commentary by the editors who help explain why this stuff is so terrible in case you somehow can't figure it out. For my taste, there are too many little excepts here and not enough complete poems. For fans of this sort of thing, I also strongly recommend two other books. The first is "Pegasus Descending," an earlier collection of bad verse that was among the first of its kind. (I think it may come back into print in 2001?) Hilarious. The other is the catalog of "Moba," the Museum of Bad Art in Massachusetts. Lord, are those paintings funny.

I stumbled across this book, and immediately bought it, along with several copies for my friends as well. Taking it to a nearby coffee shop, I laughed so hard other patrons were staring, and somebody actually came up and asked me what was so funny. They seemed to think I was crazy for deliberately buying a book of bad poetry. Finally, I began laughing so hard I was crying, and had to leave to coffee shop to save some sense of dignity! With such gems as "Ode to a Ditch," and "Elegy for a Dissected Puppy," this book proves more interesting and entertaining than I expected, and is also a testament to the indomitable human spirit, which warbles the strangest of verses.

In the book of poems titled Walking to Martha's Vineyard, Franz Wright will surely ponder reader's minds everywhere. There is a constant theme involving spirituality throughout his poems. Often you will find his poetry calling out to a higher power or demanding faith through fear. He provides a sense of something that is hidden to the outside world that only he will ever fully understand. He keeps secrets from his audience. The spirituality woven throughout this collection of poems can be compared to Rainer Maria Rilke's poetry, although it is not as heavily demanding in the spiritual sense. Wright's actual prose can better be compared to Some Thing Black by Jacques Roubaud.

Franz Wright was born in Vienna in 1953, and grew up mostly in California. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Walking to Martha's Vineyard and was a also finalist for his work titled The Beforelife. He currently lives in Waltham, Massachusetts with his wife Elizabeth and works for the Center for Grieving Children and Teenagers.

His poems are all connected in an orderly fashion that slowly moves the poetry forward with a subtle taste of satisfaction. There is no set form to his free verse and he uses punctuation for a reason, never taking it lightly. In his poem "Fathers," Wright beautifully discusses and compares his own father and a higher power, or a heavenly father. He calls out to the creator of the stars to create a new heart in him. I believe the most beautiful stanza in the poem is right after this when he writes, "Homeless in Manhattan, the winter of your dying." It flows so beautifully on the page. There is a constant sense of wanting to belong and to be loved. The last line reads, "and how often I walked to the edge of the actual river to join you." It is so wonderful because it is so real. It is not known to whom he is calling out to. It could be his real father that passed away when he was a child, or the Heavenly Father. It could be both.

His poem titled "June Storm" speaks about a sad journey through life - always living with a question and never knowing any answers. He always ends his poems with a very solid statement that ties the entire poem together, but at the same time leaves the mind to wonder. In "June Storm" specifically he talks about how as a child and now as an adult he does not know the names of trees or birds or leaves. There is a sense of realization that comes with age and is also despised. He ends the poem in three lines saying, "I felt this as a child, and now I know it."

When reading this work of art, it is best to read it from beginning to end in order to obtain connections and meanings in their entirety. While one poem can inspire you, all of the poems can change you. Wright's poetry should be read by everyone, religious or not, because there is no damnation, only captivating secrets and questions among the pages.

It's a remarkable book, and his poems are so true. Look at the poems about his father; that should make the decision.

After years of a sincere, horrendously painful search for an answer to the suffering of his own life, and by extension, the suffering of humanity as a whole, Franz Wright has finally found some peace of mind.

It actually does not surprise me that Wright has come to believe in God; his lifetime of inner hell, alienation, abuse and almost unnaturally intense dedication to his vocation as a poet leaves him no other outs. "If they'd stabbed me to death on the day I was born," Wright says, "it would have been an act of mercy," and yet on the same page affirms the majesty of the world with all its horror.

Any fan of Wright's work knows that he speaks with looming authority on the subject of rebellion against any metaphysical solution at all, which is why we can take this collection so seriously. He has gone so pathologically far into the hell of depression, drug abuse, and alcoholism that anyone with similar experiences will understand his need for an answer to what he has witnessed. Wright is the kind of poet who, even during the height of what he would term "the poet's lonely fame", would often find himself in mental hospitals, jails, and rehabs. Until now, neither literary recognition nor his talent have brought him any relief.

Wright's poetry has always spoken to addicts/alcoholics perhaps better than to anyone else, and his gratitude for still having his brain intact and still being alive at all is something we can all relate to: "Thank You for letting me live for a little as one of the sane; thank You for letting me know what this is like/Thank You for letting me look at your frightening blue sky without fear, and your terrible world without terror, and your loveless psychotic and hopelessly lost/with this love".

Suffice to say, Wright's poetry itself is uncompromising, apart from the radical change in attitude he is expressing. They are the kind of poems that, reading them aloud, produce a hushed silence of admiration and respect because they are so uncompromising. While there is very little in the way of "light" material in Wright's body of work, this comes the closest, and is a must for EVERYONE. This should be put on high school book lists.

With this volume, I believe, Franz Wright finally, fully passed from beneath the shadow of his father, the famous poet James Wright. In fact, upon Walking to Martha's Vineyard being awarded the Pulitzer for poetry, James & Franz became the only father & son tandem awarded the Pulitzer Prize in the same category.

Like a number of critics, I felt much of Franz's earlier work got bogged down in issues relating to abuse and addiction - it seemed for a time he was destined to banish himself to a truncated audience by making himself into a single issue, thematic poet. However, in Walking to Martha's Vineyard, Franz Wright forcefully breaks free from simple categorizations - his poetry comes alive, embracing the whole of human experience, including of course genuine suffering and loss. This slender volume is somatic, visual and emotive - it reaches the reader on many levels. Also it's mastery of the line, the springboard of rhythm, is a wonderful balance of experiment & tradition.

I give Walking to Martha's Vineyard by Franz Wright 5 stars - something I rarely do. I think there is much here for almost all lovers of poetry to cherish. I believe you will find yourself, like I have, returning to its treasures over and over again, always wanting for more.

Franz Wright speaks to me, perhaps more so than any other modern poet, and he does so with an elegant, minimalistic style. He has a keen way of recognizing the common, often mundane aspects of our existence. Yet, when he captures them on paper and puts his characteristic spin on them, it's a thing of beauty.

Not to mention, Wright has lived. I mean really lived. This is an artist who has suffered from major depression, alcoholism, poverty and has come out on top. Although if you talked to him, I am sure he would say that everyday is a journey of new found meaning and sobriety. From interviews I've read, he is a class act!

This collection, as a whole, is about redemption and his new found idea of positive living. Everyone could learn from that.
The poems are never long, never tiresome or tedious and always interesting. He uses rhyme scheme sparingly and when he does, it's hardly noticeable. I also love his use of white space. In my opinion, no matter how great a poem is, if it's laid out poorly it becomes boring and its meaning lost. Wright understands that and has structured each poem to be its own work of art. Some of these poems could actually be framed.

Unlike other Pulitzer winners of the past, I feel that Wright definitely deserves the honor bestowed him.

Favorite poems and quotes from "Walking to Martha's Vineyard":

1. University of One- "And I've lost my fear/of death/here, what death/There is no such thing./There is only/mine,/or yours-/but the world/will be filled with the living."

2. Untitled- "Some say/the more you stray/the more you're/saved,/I wouldn't be surprised/....Set the mind/before the mirror of eternity/and everything will work."

3. Letter- "The humiliation I go through/when I think of my past/can only be described as grace./We are created by being destroyed."

Go out and buy this book. I promise it will speak to you...

This was awe inspiring. The wording was superb and the flow was impeccable. It spoke what my heart believes.

Dr. Laura B. Christopher

Through WE SPEAK YOUR NAMES: A Celebration by Pearl Cleage, African-American women have been honored in a way that will stand in history, just as their contributions have. This poem was written at the request of Oprah Winfrey to celebrate and commensurate the accomplishments of women honored at Winfrey's 2005 Living Legends event and ball. And the book concludes with a biographical sketch of each woman.

These women, consisting of civil rights leaders, actresses, writers, singers, etc., are all role-models to those who followed and are following after them. A few featured are Maya Angelou, Ruby Dee, Nikki Giovanni, Dr. Dorothy Height, Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker and Nancy Wilson. Cleage's poem encompasses many of the known traits of these women, with themes of strength, sisterhood, honor, and courage, but also acknowledges their beauty and wisdom--showcasing them individually and also collectively. They are remarkable women who should be honored, cherished, thanked and most of all remembered. Kudos to Pearl Cleage and Zaron W. Burnett, Jr., for WE SPEAK YOUR NAMES and to Oprah Winfrey for the vision.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

It's probably one of the only poems I look to quote each day. It's about love, magic, determination, and above all else, the spirit of Black women, not only here in America, but around the world. I speak so many womens' names when I go about my day trying my best to follow the star God has allowed me to realize. And I hope I'm making them proud!

As a fan of Pearl Cleage, I have never been dissapointed! Again, she shines.

i first heard the poem read on the TV special with Oprah honouring the legends and the youngun's, in the African American world.
Regardless of me not being African American, the poem touched me deeply and reminded me of the many women that have touched my life. this little book is definitly a keeper!

Thank you for sharing it with all of us that really do walk in the footprints of so many that have paved the way for us in this world.