Poetry Books

Mr.Smith's writing has put into words emotions I have been unable to define.The subtlety of his writing style quietly brings you to a deeper understanding of yourself and others. I very much enjoyed his ability to make a point without smacking you in the face to get your attention.

This is a recueil that breathes and grieves. It brims with striking apercu and exudes a palpable presence that you can taste, touch, hear and feel . Mr. Smith celebrates this flawed existence with language so beautiful it steals your breath.

Robert Smith has an enviable collection of poetry-making tools-- a clear and well-lit mind, a deep pool of honest, self-questioning emotion, a lover's intimacy with the physical world, and an absolutely pure delight in the sounds of words. And yet, he resists what must be a fearsome temptation to show off this tool-kit, one item at a time. Instead, responsible craftsman that he is, he simply applies each of these tools to every page, in precisely the right combination, with precisely the right touch, to achieve whole poems that satisfy the whole reader -- mind and heart, soul and senses. He would like it, I think, if his poems reminded us of Geoff Hill's (and they do, in the grandeur of their feeling), but this book reminds me much more often of Philip Larkin, the Larkin who refused poses of any kind, who could be counted on never, ever, to tell us more than he was absolutely certain of. Lies come easier than truths; poses are more convenient than mindfulness. The coming of the millenium, referred to several times in Bob Smith's book, was a great occasion for poses and hyperboles, but in these poems the most mundane details of weather -- "a few strands of cloud dyed pink by the last of the sunset," or rain that "falls as it must on the oblivious hills," regardless of what century we decide we're in -- are much more astonishing and meaningful, precisely because they are real. This poetry returns us, time and again, to what is real. In an age where even intelligence can be artificial, such insistence is called for.

Mr. Smith's, "Everything Moves With A Disfigured Grace," is an inspiring collection of poems providing reflections on life through penetrating visual imagery. In the poem, "At your Bedside," Smith writes, "the dreams of your illness lie gathered like embers - a low, white heat unstirred by morning's hand."
This and other selections leave the reader with a tangible sense of what the poet is attempting to communicate.

"Everything Moves With A Disfigured Grace" is simply one of the best books of poetry published in America in the last 40 years, and, to paraphrase Steve Earle speaking about Townes Van Zandt, "I'll stand in my cowboy boots on coffee tables at Billy Collins' house, at Ted Kooser's house, at Charles Simic's house, and at Robert Hass' house, and repeat that for anyone who cares to listen!"

Well, I will say im a little biased...Cause Jeff is my uncle..when I found out he wrote a book I immediately bought it..I love the poems he has in this book...I often go back and read them over and over..Great job... Cant wait for more..

Amy Metz (Echevarria)

Jeff has a way of grabbing your attention and taking you on a journey through descriptions beyond compare and he bombards your emotions with each piece you read. I would recommend this book to anyone and I will tell you... you won't be disappointed!!!

Jeff Metz is an outstanding poet. I have had opportunity to read hundreds of poems by this talented and gifted writer. His poetry is full of awesome imagery that will propel your mind to the unexpected, yet thrilling climax in each writing. The fabric of each word draws you to the finish and delightful conclusion. What a great writer with deep emotions and flowing with great meter and rhyme. His work is authentic. If you enjoy good rich and unique poetry, you will enjoy Jeff Metz. He is a natural. [...]

I've written poetry for over 55-years, and not since Rod McKuen, has there emerged a more prolifically-gifted poet of the free-verse than Jeff Metz.
Jeff's work is straight, open-minded, open-hearted, and relatable to all levels of mental, spititual, emotional, and intellectual levels.
There, literally, is not a soul that will fail to find and recognize themselves upon the pages in Mr. Metz's brilliant poems.
He is so uniquelly-different and captivating that you'll be absolutely amazed at each and every page you turn,
because no one can take words and turn them into the enthralling and memorable images that Jeff Metz can.
You'll be proudly and excitedly reading his poems to your family and friends, and if you're a poet, you'll be incorporating his style into your own work.
A wonderful experience and enlightenment awaits you inside this book. If you don't buy Evidence of You, then you will have lost out on the most simple
and brilliant work you'll have ever had the opportunity to be captivated by, so buy it, read it, and share the news with everyone.
This book costs less than $20, less than it costs to see a movie, and I cannot recommend Jeff Metz's work highly enough....
simply put, "He is the new wave of poetry personified!"
I am completely serious, and I have it on good accord from literally all of my hundreds of fellow-poets that they feel the same way.

Remember the name...."JEFF METZ"

Jeff Metz's "Evidence of You" will not disappoint! His romance and emotion in verse will delight your senses and carry you on a journey where sigh's are a frequent occurence. Curl up and prepare to enjoy an afternoon or evening of pure poetic pleasure! I sigh as I return to read Jeff's words once more . . . ah . . .

As an old Massachusetts man and a enthusiast of Mass. history, of course I am interested in Emerson, Holmes, Thoreau, Longfellow and company. Though, at first glance, Longfellow may seem a bit superficial and out-dated-in a stale New England way; he is actually quite heart-felt and poignant at times.

As for the New England way, that is all part of the charm-New England is like the "grandmother's attic" of America: full of quaint history.

Also see the "Song of Hiawatha", Emerson and Oliver Wendell Holmes.

"Tell me not in mournful numbers/ Life is but an empty dream.......Life is real/ Life is earnest/ and the Grave is not the goal/ Dust thou art, To Dust returnest/ Was not spoken of the soul."
This is from Longfellow's " Psalm to life" and has the kind of affirmative, willful strength that much English Victorian poetry( Henley's Invictus, Tennyson's 'Ulysses' ' Browning's "Rabbi Ibn Ben Ezra" )
Longfellow was the most highly esteemed poet of the nineteenth century . His long- poems were taught in American schools well into the middle of the twentieth century as American classics.I can remember going through 'Evangeline' and 'Hiawatha' and 'The Courtship of Miles Standish'( which is in this volume) in seventh and eighth grade.
Longellow's reputation declined drastically perhaps because of his quite conventional language, and style.
There is a solidity, and sobriety in his verse which did not win twentieth - century favor.
However I find many of his poems have insightful and telling. I think too he should be valued as one writes in a positive and dignified way about the country and culture of which he is a part.

"Working in these walls of time,
Some with massive deeds and great,
Some with Ornaments of Rhyme"

These are the lines of the first verse of a powerfully written poem "The Builders" which, to me, seems to be about living a moral, honorable life on which to build a future for all of society. Such powerfull and truthfull words to live by.

On a whim, I recently pulled this book from my bookshelf to read(I have a copy in 'The Classic collectors edition' which I like mostly because it's prety decoration for my bookshelves. As a child I learned "Paul Revere's Ride" in school, but never learned the full depth of Longfellow's works. So refreshing are the realistic moralism of yesteryear, from a time when a persons works and deeds counted for something.

I was captivated by the brutality of "The Saga of king Olaf" as it recounted the brutal nordic kings' religious conquest of Scandanavia. "Hiawatha's Song" swept me up into a tale of beauty of a time lost. The poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is writen with a beauty and elegance and even excitement which conveys thier meaning in stunning clarity. As I read "Paul Revere's Ride" for the first time in over a decade I found myself speaking in the rythm of the hoofbeats of that steed Paul Revere rode.

These historic poems are truly great, and should be read and cherished by all.

This slim paperback book from Dover Thrift Editions is an excellent starting place for those who are not familiar with the poetic works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It's inexpensive, a quick read (at only 84 pages), and contains much of Longfellow's most popular poems, plus some selected prose as well as a few more obscure works. Longfellow (1807-1882) was an absolute master of rhyme, meter, and the the actual SOUND of words, and he wrote with a strong sense of morality and ethics (one reason that he is gererally disregarded by modern poetry snobs, but loved by his faithful readers!). All in all, if you want to explore the poetic mind of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for the first time, you can't go wrong with this book! Check out his masterful choice of words and imagery in poems like "The Christmas Bells", "The Slave's Dream", "Hymn to the Night", "A Psalm of Life", "The Building of the Ship", "The Reaper and the Flowers", "Excelsior", etc., etc., etc. Longfellow enthusiasts looking for a more complete or scholarly volume should check into some of the other Longfellow books offered on Amazon, particularly "The Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow", although I found "Complete's" small print, (in columns, like most modern Bibles) to be a bit rough on the eyes....Either way, explore this excellent master of rhyme!

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was one of the most noteworthy poets of the 19th century United States. "Favorite Poems" brings together selections from about 40 years' worth of his career. While some of the poems seem very dated -- due to their sentimentality and conventional structure -- the best of these poems remain rewarding and enjoyable.

The focus in this collection is on Longfellow's shorter poems. So his long poems "The Song of Hiawatha" and "Evangeline" are not included, and not even excerpted. But the volume does contain many of his most memorable pieces: "The Wreck of the Hesperus," "The Village Blacksmith," etc.

The longest poem in the collection is "The Courtship of Miles Standish," a mini-epic of more than 30 pages. "Courtship" is a fascinating poem about the colonial era Puritans, and offers a fascinating perspective on gender relations, race, religion, and other aspects of Puritan culture. "Courtship" makes for an interesting companion text for both actual Puritan era writings (like Mary Rowlandson's captivity narrative) and later literary works about that era (like Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible").

Another noteworthy poem is "The Slave's Dream," a somewhat romantic, but sympathetic view of an enslaved African-American. Also included is "Paul Revere's Ride," a wonderfully musical poem that, like "The Courtship of Miles Standish," looks back at American history. "Paul Revere's Ride" has a particularly impressive rhyme scheme to complement Longfellow's masterful use of meter. Yes, some of Longfellow's work may not seem very relevant to contemporary audiences. But "Favorite Poems" contains much that remains vital, and deserves a continuing readership both in and out of schools.

THE FEELINGS AND IMAGINATION OF A BAREFOOT BOY STILL INSIDE MY HEAD by Richard W. Carlson Jr. is just as the title suggests--feelings and imagination, as well as hopes, dreams, and just plain fun wrapped into one book!

His wonderful poems were a treat to read to my children, and the charming hand drawn illustrations caught and kept my children's attention as I read, bringing forth tons of questions about the picture.

Mentioning frogs, wishes, brothers, sisters, yelling, cheating, animals, first kisses, and black eyes, would only scratch the surface of all the comical poems and short stories within the books pages. All of Mr. Carlson's poems and short stories in THE FEELINGS AND IMAGINATION OF A BAREFOOT BOY STILL INSIDE MY HEAD will surely entertain and delight the children, as well as the parents. I know we loved it!

The author, Richard W. Carlson Jr. known to live in an imaginary world of his own as a boy, he now lives in the real world and successfully writes book and poems for children that teach valuable lessons. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Mr. Carlson's vivid imagination runs wild in each fascinating tale. The important lessons, both realistic and proper, are taught in a fun and attention-grabbing manner. They are exactly what the youth of today need, and what they will enjoy reading at the same time. His ability to tell it like a child is something that every child's book writer struggles for. The poems aren't too long, and drug out, nor are they preachy--perfect for the age of children it is intended for.

My favorite poem: I LOVED TO WALK ON MY BARE FEET is about a little boy who loves to look at his bare feet as he walks.

Find your favorite Richard W. Carlson Jr. poem today!

ASTORYWEAVER'S Book Reviews highly recommends THE FEELINGS AND IMAGINATION OF A BAREFOOT BOY STILL INSIDE MY HEAD by Richard W. Carlson Jr. for you and your children....

Richard Carlson's The Feelings And Imagination Of A Barefoot Boy Still Inside My Head! is a delightful, entertaining, and highly recommended collection of poems and short stories for children ages 9 to 12. The topics of these pieces range from family, falling in love, and imagination, to yelling, bicycles, and kissing. I Loved To Walk On My Bare Feet: When I was a young boy,/I loved life and felt great joy./I untied and my little shoes off I took./At my bare feet I wanted to look./It felt really neat,/Walking on the grass and soil in bare feet./I breathed in the spring air through my little nose,/And in the mud puddles, wiggled my little toes./I would play and daydream./Life was wonderful to me it did seem.

This was a book of poems and short stories. Mr. Carlson writes really good poems, I liked them all. Some of them were about Jeremy Grabowski's Crazy Summer In Stormville. I thought that was neat. Some were about life in Tucson Arizona. That was cool because I've never been there and it was fun to read about a different place. The short stories were all great. I liked all of them too. I think you will really like this book. Both boys and girls will.

Nathaniel

P.S. Kevin Carlson is Richard Carlson's brother. His pictures are terrific! People are really hard to draw, I know, I try to all the time! He does a really great job!

Many books written for youngsters have a problem. To get the skill to create the work, the author has had to practice . . . and that meant getting older and further away from feelings of the young readers. Richard W. Carlson, Jr. has overcome that problem here in a powerful way, and brought me back in touch with experiences I haven't had in over 45 years. The interesting poems and short stories carry important lessons for the practical and moral development of the reader. The youthful perspective is perfectly captured in the poetic style that successfully mimics what a talented 10 year old might produce while having extra smoothness most of the time. I especially liked the illustrations by Mr. Kevin Carlson. Mr. Carlson has an ability to capture stories, emotions, and situations in simple illustrations that make the point of the stories clearer.

The poems and stories are very short, well-suited for the attention span of youthful readers. One interesting element is that the book contains both poetry about Richard W. Carlson, Jr. as well as fictional versions of the same incidents describing Jeremy Grabowski's Crazy Summer in Stormville. You and your children can enjoy talking about which versions you like better, and what roles fiction and nonfiction play in helping readers.

I generally liked the poems about discovery best. When we are young, everything that happens (even setbacks) is absolutely fascinating. Junk and joy go together just as well as gold and joy.

I also liked the way the short stories took the potential for fright and turned it into potential for fun. Mr. Carlson has an unusually positive attitude that anyone can learn from. Children need more encouragement than criticism, and he carries that point forward rather well.

I suspect that most readers will take even more delight upon rereading the book than upon first reading it. I hope you will take the opportunity to do both. Although written for children, the book has much of the appeal of Who Moved My Cheese? for adults.

"Who lives in your world that's wonderful and so much fun?

You might be the only one!"

Those two lines may be the best encouragement for budding writers that I have ever seen. Be sure you children have the chance to read them.

After you finish this delightful book, I suggest you think about why you no longer find discovery as fascinating as a little boy picking up his first horny toad. How can you recapture that delight and its benefits? How can you be sure that your children and grandchildren delight in discovery even more than you did at their age?

Retain the mind of the three year old . . . and your mind will be always filled with riches.

Author Richard W. Carlson Jr. Brings echoes of maturity to freshly imaginative short stories and poetry in THE FEELINGS AND IMAGINATION OF BAREFOOT BOY STILL INSIDE MY HEAD. The sparkling ingenuous voice of remembered youth sparkles, recapturing the best of childhood and strongest of memories in a startling original record certain to please young readers. The rhythm and rhyme keep the tempo steadily on high, recreating runaway frogs, black eyes, broccoli and walking barefoot with equal vividness. Accompanied by simple, yet skillfully drawn illustrations (by the author's younger brother), this marvelous lark comes highly recommended.

I first read David Young's amazing translations of these great T'ang poets seventeen years ago, when I was one of his students at Oberlin College in Ohio, and they started me on a lifetime of reading and loving these astonishingly ancient and contemporary sounding poets. There is something vibrantly alive, immediate, and inspiring about these 8th century words and the personalities of their wise, striking authors. In reading many translations, you won't find many as clear and right.

My best friend in this world (outside of my wonderful family) is a guy that I only get to see every few years. He's like the wind. He blows in and out of my life. But he's always in my heart. We are poets.

Being a poet is not a choice. It is a life sentence.

My friend and I are dissimilar in so many ways that it is remarkable that we don't break out in a fight the instant we come into each other's presence. Yet...and yet...

Hearts touched by the flame always find warmth in good company.

Imagine my joy then, at finding a new brother (one from over a thousand years ago) when I picked up this book and met Li Po.

I won't bother you much longer with my words. Instead, let me introduce you to Li Po himself:

Drinking in Moonlight




I sit with my wine jar
among flowers
blossoming trees

no one to drink with

well, there's the moon

I raise my cup
and ask him to join me
bringing my shadow
making us three

but the moon doesn't seem to be drinking
and my shadow creeps around behind me

still, we're companions tonight
me, the moon, and the shadow
we're observing the rites of spring

I sing
and the moon rocks back and forth

I dance
and my shadow tumbles with me

We celebrate for awhile
then go our own ways, drunk

may we meet again someday
in the white river of stars
overhead!

This is THE book of translated Chinese poems which opened my eyes to the art of poetry. I've since searched for and read many others, but this remains the best. The translations are masterful - lucid, transparent, simple, and, in English, stand as wonderful poems in their own right.

"Verses, however masterly, cannot be translated literally from one language into another without losing much of their beauty and dignity." (Bede, English writer and historian, AD 673-735)

For the translator of poetry, and Chinese poetry in particular, the question is: shall I be true to the letter or to the spirit? Usually the answer lies somewhere in the middle. The best translations aim to be true to the spirit without violating the letter more than necessary.

David Young, a poet himself, hopes to be true to the spirit of the five poets from the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-906) while at the same time trying to create poetry in a different language and period. The impulse that lies behind his book is to rescue the poets "from the often wooden and dogged versions of the scholars" and to recreate the beauty and dignity of the poetry in a language used by an American poet at the end of the 20th century. The results are marvelously readable, beautiful translations that I enjoyed more than any other translations of Chinese poetry I have read before or since.

Preceding the translations, Young has written a short introduction to each of the poets. These include a discussion of the special qualities of the poets' works and a selection of recommended translations by other English authors.

The five poets represented in this book are (1) Wang Wei, a devout Buddhist and the Chinese poet of landscape par excellence who wrote poems of a deeply religious sensibility; (2) Li Po, the Chinese archetype of the "bohemian artist and puckish wanderer," a poet beloved for his Taoist unconventionality; (3) Tu Fu, China's greatest poet according to a widely held view because of his technical brilliance and "vigorous poetry that manages to transcend unhappiness and melancholy by its enormous range and immense humanity"; (4) Li Ho, a poet usually not ranked with the Big Three because he is too innovative and defies classification; and (5) Li Shang-yin, who has a reputation as a decadent versifier but, as Young shows, is a "human and humane artist who feels deeply and sees deeply into mysteries of our common existence."

One of my favorite poems in this collection is "Returning to my cottage." It is a good example of Wang Wei's ability to capture stillness and movement in a landscape, to balance observations of things distant and close by, and to create from these images an atmosphere of serenity tinged with sadness. It is a good example for David Young's style of translation, too:

A bell in the distance
the sound floats
down the valley

one by one
woodcutters and fishermen
stop work, start home

the mountains move off
into darkness

alone, I turn home
as great clouds beckon
from the horizon

the wind stirs delicate vines
and water chestnut shoots
catkin fluff sails past

in the marsh to the east
new growth
vibrates with color

it's sad
to walk in the house
and shut the door.

Bottom line: This is one of the few anthologies of classical Chinese poetry in which the English versions of the poems really sound like poetry. There is nothing of the stiff formality and awkwardness of most other translations that disable the lyric voice of the verses. These translations are full of the beauty and dignity of the Chinese originals.

The Five Tang Poets covered in this book are wonderful.

Wang Wei excellent landscape poems take you to places which are wonderous while not over iydllic. Tu Fu is sad and poinant, talking about the scenes of war. Li Po talks of drinking and intoxication in a way that seems that it is a way of life

Young translates in a free verse form using simple words and goes for the feeling of the poem. The poems are not 100 % literal translations but they are jems. I feel like I am having some of my chinese friends translating a poem for me and they say this is the best I can do you will have to read Chinese to fully understand the poem completely. Young takes us as far as one can go in our language. He took on a difficult task to bring these poems so simple in language and so complex in context and emotion to life, Young has done an excellent job with the tool of the English language

With poetic fashion, Lloyd King choppered me into another world with his private depiction of the incredibly emotional and physical fight he, his men, and our enemy had in the jungles of Vietnam. The devil is in the details, and it is hard to imagine how anyone survived the daily attacks on mind body and soul - except to say it took God's hand and a soldier's guts and courage. I didn't want to put this book down and admire how Lloyd served our country as hell broke loose, 24/7. Lloyd's penciled drawings portrayed this war and this warriors experience as an airborne infantryman in a powerful, interesting way. The words added much more.

Every day or situation is almost unbelievable. Lloyd becomes a squad leader after only twelve days in country. He gets shot in the head, bandaged and sent home on emergency leave, but not from his head wound - his brother died the same day - at coincidentally the time Lloyd's wife has a baby. Reality seems far fetched but it's all far too true. Lloyd goes back to join the fight again with the feelings and scars from both sides of the world. A microscopic view of a "tour of duty" gets revealed.

This highly decorated and caring man helped me fully understand what the daily grind was like on a man in the Vietnam jungle. I will read it again and recommend it to anyone that cares to serve their fellow man.

My review won't be as eloquent as the other reviews but since it comes from a "Grunt" that spent a year sleeping in the rice paddies of `Nam, I hope it provides an insiders view on the subject. As I read the poems I was struck with two thoughts... first, I found I had shelved a lot of memories of what I went through during my tour and second, I didn't realize there was poetry in the things I saw. My basic memory as an infantryman is comprised of snippets of action that more resembled a montage of photos, pinpointing specific frozen events with nothing leading up to or away from the action taking place. Mr. King's book provides a background that gives movement to the static moments in my mind. Well done.

I've never been a big fan of poetry, but I'm a huge fan of Lloyd King and his hard-hitting, vivid honesty! Covering topics from his first day in Vietnam to getting shot in the head to coming home, his work is a violent storm of beauty, emotion, fear, humility, and faith, which paint an honest picture of the ugliness of war and the brotherhood of troops in combat. By reading it, I learned a little about poetry, a little more about Vietnam, and a whole bunch about the poet. I absolutely could not put it down, and think that it is a perfect book for either poetry lovers or combat veterans.

This morning I experienced the War in Vietnam. I spent the entire morning reading "From 'Nam With Love." Mr. King brought me back to the horrors of jungle combat with his words.

I could visualize a young American soldier scrawling his daily emotions into a notebook under the light of the moon. I felt his highs and lows and cried over the loss of his friends. He brought to life the daily struggle of just trying to survive a year in Hell.

His poetic vignettes display the raw emotoins of war. They are just as true today as they were a half-century ago. This book is not just for Vietnam veterans. It is for their families and our latest generation of warriors and their loved ones too.

This is a must read for those who want to understand the trauma of going to war.

Emotional and spiritual and hard hitting poetry from the combat experiences of Lloyd King. In his well written book of prose, "From `Nam With Love - An Infantry Soldier's Vietnam" the reader is transformed along with the poet as he lives each day in the Nam. The poems are chronologically composed so that the emotional and spiritual energy grows and changes as the poet's "tour of duty" proceeds though the year. He labels the poems with dates that they represent; and occasionally ends some with a short footnote as to who was killed or if he was awarded some medal.

I have read thousands of Vietnam War poems over the last decade and there is for the most part a certain sameness to them. However, King takes us on new pathways with his thoughts and observations and covers some themes that I have not read else where. One of my favorite poems in his book illustrates this point clearly by going in a more divine and mystical direction. The poem is called "The Vision" and it deals with a strange event that happens to him on Hill 903.

There is much compassion in Kings poems as observed in several of his works of prose, such as the experiencing of his first combat kill. It shows a softer and more human side to this warrior; one that shows he is not some emotionless crazed killing machine as is portrayed in so many books and movies.

Lloyd's personal thoughts and out look on life are reflected throughout his book's prose and also in his wonderful illustrations. This is one of the better books of war poetry written from the Vietnam War. It is a journey of the heart and soul of that war experience for this poet and many others will be able to identify with him.

This book receives the MWSA's TOP BOOK RATING of FIVE STARS!

The MWSA's 2006 Gold Medal Award for "Best Book of Poetry"

I personally give this book my endorsement and highly recommend it to others.

If I hear that again, I now have something to pull out and place in the hands of my six year old. We have read it together, and she has read it alone. The pictures are fun and the point is well made. Great book!

...Savor that smile as it slips onto your face and let the merriment begin with this refreshing and insightful narrative about the feelings of a child. This book is both adorable and wise, and it teaches children to look at everything and every situation in a different way. Fun Is A Feeling tells us that fun is where we find it and shows us how to look for it; however, it also reminds us that sometimes we have to put that fun there.

Inside this book, children will discover things that will delight their imagination and wisdom that can only come from within. Fantasy and whimsy permeate, fill, and overflow these pages. That isn't simply a sprinkle of rain pitter-pattering on the upturned faces of children! Who would settle for rain when it can be turned into tiny little kisses - from raindrops that were looking just for them? And what about that bug that lands on their nose? Isn't it there just to give them a hug?

Stardust sparkles and swirls from page to page, sweeping us along with pure joy. Trees stretch their arms wide to let the smiles of children sail through their branches and tickle their leaves. The clear blue waters of a stream giggle their way through a forest glade, while colorful little fish leap as high as they can to peek out at the glorious scenery. What child could resist such beautiful illustrations, or fail to understand the most important message carried within this story...children are very special and their joy can light up the universe.

This is a wonderful book. Sweep up some of its stardust, put it in your pocket, and let its magical message change the way you look at your world - and when that happens, it will change your life...

Reviewed by Ruth Wilson

We just love this book!! The soft, melodic prose is very soothing, as well as the fun, airy illustration. The story provokes imagination and creativity, even in us as parents reading to our child. As with all books by Chara M. Curtis, I couldn't recommend this book more.

At 2 1/2 years old my daughter just hangs on every word and image. She loves this book as well as Curits' All I See is Part of Me. The message is outstanding, the writing divinely inspired, and the images evoking. When's the next one coming out?

...Fun isn't something or somewhere or who... it's a feeling a joy that lives inside of you!...

An absolutely wonderful book, full of joy and of course... FUN! Awesome illustrations and great for kids even below the suggested age group (suggested age group: 4-8). Our son is 2 1/2 and adores this as well as our 1 yr. old daughter!

This book teaches about feelings (sad, happy, angry) and how each and every one of them are healthy and ok, including the feeling, fun. Nice suggestions for older kids are included like having fun by imagining .. "vacuuming the hall with an elephants snout" and so forth.

Our kids enjoy this book every time we read it, which is almost every day incidentally. Not to mention, how much my husband and I enjoy reading it with them.

This is not your average powder puff poetry. Fagan sets the standard pretty high for young emerging poets with these new pieces. As anyone we know, anyone who feels lifes ups and downs and beautiful things, Aaron helps us puts those certain things on paper as we can only try to journal ourselves. Does that make sense? You see, he makes perfect sense, I can only try to put my thoughts down. Never even half as eloquent as Mr. Fagan.

I've been reading and re-reading this collection since it arrived. Fagan's poetry has the gritty truth of someone who has been to the places these poems describe, but what's refreshing here is that Fagan's poems about love ("it's more natural to listen to what's not said") and addiction ("He's got that look in his eye like he's going to throw up or make a toast to you") approach their subjects with both directness and irony, humor and dead seriousness. These poems are intelligent, intricate creatures that are nevertheless deeply emotional and moving, and I feel, reading them, like I'm glimpsing the world through the eyes of someone who is thoughtfully attuned to what people may be feeling, and the ways that we go wrong (the poem "Scatology," for example, starts as a very funny recounting of a trip to the zoo and ends with a provocative meditation on our seemingly lost ability to see the human part of ourselves). Written with a keen ear for the music in language, and never shying away from looking at things that will surely disturb his readers, this is an exciting debut. I'm eagerly looking forward to his next work.

Aaron Fagan's poems are simple, direct, and full of heart. I read poetry for what it tells me about the human experience, and what this book tells me is that there's hope.

Wow. This is great effin book. What makes this collection of poems just so cool is that it is exactly that thing which is like nothing you've ever read before. To wit, reasons why: 1) funny in inimitable fashion 2) yet, serious, willing to examine the absurdities inherent in the world (i.e. elephants crapping, strange cell calls) around and arrange them in forms of language that are just so fitting 3) poems that draw inspiration from a multitude of traditions and disciplines (see what he does with a paradelle!) while forging something new out of the demands of our strange, contemporary lives 4) because Kabuki Hologram is a such an outstanding fragment that it deserves it's own poem, 5) deep and wise and yet confounded by the variety of the everyday. This is poetry that cuts keenly and makes things open. If you like poetry by hot, young and cool talent, then you will love this book. Even if you don't, buy this book anyways, because it will turn you into someone who likes poetry by hot, young, cool talent. Also, if you need to impress a certain girl (or guy) you've had your eye on for quite some time, then buy this book and give it to them. You'll be in like flynn in no time. Trust me.

Really bad poems can sound really good if you read them with dramatic emphasis. Then there are poems that sound really good because there is a particular image that is cleverly crafted, or the language is cleverly crafted, or the idea and the arc of the poem is cleverly idea-d and arc-ed. I like Aaron's book because there is less concern for this, and more concern for the transmission of a feeling. The words and ideas in a poem ultimately fail over time. This book, however, taps into the fourth plane of a poem. If there is no heart, no genuine feeling, and if the poet can't surrender to something greater, then the work never lasts. Fagan's poems will. Fagan surrenders to something greater every time with heart and honesty and is fearless about how the poem is going to end up. He'd rather chase the truth.

Gary Snyder's writing style is clever and a part of poetic history--beat. This is a different kind of poetry. It's a good read.

Gary Snyder has been an inspiration to me and to a lot of other people for many years now. This book is a joy to read because it gives us so much of his poetry, as well as his philosophy of life, nature and Buddhism over a course of 46 years. Much of it has been pulled from his various books, but reading it again after time has passed brings a new perspective and an added appreciation for the work. Thanks Gary, for doing the real work for all these years.

most of us first heard of snyder though kerouac's dharma bums. and i must confess that is why i was 1st attracted to him and his writings. but to list snyder as just another beat it not only inaccurate it does a diservice to him, his writings and his fearless intellect. snyder is not only a great poet but is also an insightful naturalist and a true zen master. this anthology is actually a zen bible for the 21st century, filled with enjoyable reading and great insights. these writings would make the soul of han shan dance, and sakyamuni smile. this is one of my favorite books. just reading it will lighten your spirit and make your soul dance with joy.

Gary Snyder's power appears to come from mountain, meandering and meditation. In this thick sampler we visit his life to age sixty-eight through notes, prose and poems. The soil of his writings range across a fire lookout station in the Cascade Range, a Japanese Zen temple, the engine room of a Pacific freighter, an audience with the Dalai Lama, work and climbs with Ginsberg, Kerouac, Lew Welch, and Nanao Sakaki, travel in Botswana and Zimbabwe with his sons. The essence of his power is nature. "Nature is not a place to visit, it is home-and within that home territory there are more familiar and less familiar places." Two sons, one Pulitzer, many other awards so far. He writes, he reads, he teaches. One hopes that he never tires of planting words in the soil that is us. If there are any legitimate Earth heroes, Gary Snyder is one.

Gary Snyder is an amazing person. He is an intellect. He is a poet. He is a teacher, a traveler, and he is a deeply spiritual man. He lives the life that we should all attempt to lead, a conscious thinking, methodical, contemplative life, asking questions arriving at conclusions and taking action.

The Gary Snyder Reader is a good compilation of his life's work, the variety inside includes essay, interview, and poetry. This book is a well rounded view of his feelings and belief's about nature, and that of the nature of the soul, the nature of man. I agree with other reviews written here about the power of Synder's writing. His is a strong voice which is able to make a terrific argument about everything from the history of the Christian church and some reasons for underlying social perils to making a call for more activism in one's own community. Make a difference, be responsible, see things for what they are, yes this is all there.

There is also the voice of pain, loss, suffering, anger, and very deep love. Above all else, one REALLY gets the feeling that Synder loves, passionately. Gary Snyder is an extremely talented writer and poet. The same voice that won the Pulitzer is still here. Do more than read and enjoy his works, read and be changed.

Sonny surprised me. I knew he was a great talker. but his writting surpasses his speech.I now know why there is pain in his eyes. Not all of which is from the physical problems.I am very proud of you and your book.Vi

"Having read Sonny Gratzer's General Issue Blues, I was stunned to know he could read my mind. When I read Gratzer's words, I felt as if I had written them. I certainly thought them. I am not a writer. I am, however, a Combat Veteran of Viet Nam and I can feel what Gratzer has written about Viet Nam and he is on target. He should write more about his experiences because he strikes a chord. Fire for effect, Sonny!"

Captain Sonny Gratzer, as a commander, was the stereotype of the leader whose men would follow him anywhere. They did too. He was fearless and a leader who sensed needs. He was highly decorated. Severly wounded, "General Issue Blues" recounts his long struggle recouperating and dealing with the myriad feelings and emotions about the war. His poem, "I Remember You" in the book, describes how today he remains the Patriot and leader he was over thirty years ago. To quote from this poem, "To men who gave and gave. Never questioning when I raved Except To wonder if I would stand by you? Yes! I stood with you and Gave at the boonie office too. See I cared then--and I still do."

For years upon years, my bedroom in the basement on King Street (which he custom built with his hands, sweat, and broken body), was directly underneath my dad's "Vietnam writing room" (which I secretly called his office or den). This private place was, and will always be, home to his greatest weaponry; Mr. George Michael Gratzer's mind, memories and an ancient electric IBM. I wondered, while trying to sleep, when the pounding on the keys would finally end. Now I pray that sound won't go away. Gratefully, it'll be impossible to finish reading this wonderfully written work of art. I believed I knew my dad; after carrying his first published book around with me for a few years, I know I do! You, as well, will also be one of the privedged few to better understand the reality of Vietnam "lived" by one of this country's most honorable of men. His poetry captures you and puts you into the shoes of a man movies are made of, books are written about, and characters are dreamed of. As a little boy I would cautiously ask my dad to tell me what Vietnam was like...what the truth was. Sometimes he reluctantly spelled it out for me, which is what he's done here. During my Marine Corps career, a day didn't pass that I didn't think of my dad. Would I ever be under the command of a man who could lead the way he can? Although I knew some incredible studs, they couldn't hold a candle to "Bandit 6!" He IS the best of the best of THE best of men.

Nobody's perfect, but this book is. I know - I grew up with it every day, and now I carry this little piece of history with me everywhere. Everyone has something, if not a lot, to gain from any of his books (he's working on more and has been for the last few decades). We should be so lucky when they publish. Can't wait. He's written some darned impressive country music lyric's also! Where's Shania when you need her? As the gallant old man would put it...with silent breath whispering and eye's sparkling eerily, "Keep 'yer eyes peeled...they could be anywhere." But you can find it right here at amazon.com. Congratulations, DAD! I salute you.

Sonny Gratzer's undeniably powerful poems are reminders that every person is shaped and haunted by something. From his vivid images of the Vietnam War and its after effects on his life, an almost unbearable lonliness emerges. Written from an inner territory of emotional and physical turbulence, his collection of love and war poems depicts a body and soul torn, stitched, torn and mended again while forever visible scars remain.