Poetry Books

I'm reading a book of poetry, prose and personal thoughts. I'm not a poetry reader. I find it hard to understand, vague. But even I find life in the darkest reaches of literature. Matthew's poetry is like peeking into a room, where angry lovers passionately embrace, kiss too hard and ignore each other at the same time. His words are raw, ripe with truth, beautiful and moving, speaking volumes without saying a word. I have truly enjoyed this book. I can't wait for number 2.

Crumpled Paper Dolls captivated me from the very first page. I was led into a world that is so unlike mine and yet I found myself relating to the emotion, the intensity of his words. Each word is so beautifully chosen, so real and honest. He will take you into the artist's New Orleans and leave you wanting more.

It's moving, beautiful to read. It's all the bad things you've ever felt but never had the courage to say. The imagery puts you right back into the memories of the people you've ignored, hurt, or loved.

Crumpled Paper Dolls is proof of a life uncommon, unabridged, unforgettable. Assuredly, a life less ordinary.

Matthew's words, although uncomfortable at times, are hauntingly familiar. He reels you in with his tortured melodies and keeps you bound to him with his brave honesty and hope. Matthew is revealing to the point that I almost feel like an intruder at times. He shares his journey through life, love, and the pursuit of oneness.

I will always cherish this book. I have my face, heart, soul, and mind in it all the time.

Viva La Stick Man!

Brutally honest and dark. Provacative. Matthew's prose will make you ask tough questions. His poetry reflects the reality of situations. Funny and true... I've read and re-read the book. Different poems hit home each time I read it. A wonderful work!

On their own, the pictures are nice. I thought they detracted from the text, which I have read before in a different edition (and gave away!).

If you can understand the text without letting the pictures have any influence, great. I think this poem (?) is all the wisdom anyone needs to get through life.

I found the photos to take away from the words. Also parts of the poem were placed in bold face and made them stand out in the wrong way; it simplified Ehrmann's ideas too much. I was very disappointed in how it changed the over all feel. I would think these words are better left alone without other artists visual interpretation attached. Just my thoughts.

I gave eight of these books away for Christmas this year. I love the book because proceeds go to the Daniel Pearl Foundation, not to mention the nice black and white photography and inspiring philosophy. This book is a bit of sunshine on demand.

This is a wonderful book for any age. The Desiderata, an inspirational poem, was written long ago. This book illustrates the words using simple, yet striking, photographs. I have bought this book for teachers, students, and as gifts for graduates. I always keep a copy in my collection. Words we can all live by.

One of my favorite poems, a comforting and refreshing perspective on life's big picture. It purports to have been discovered in a church in the seventeenth century, but in fact it was written by a man named Max Ehrmann in the first third of this century. I have kept a copy around since elementary school (ever since I learned that Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, kept one in his office), and now keep one in my office at home and one at work.

I AM A GREAT LOVER OF VICTORIAN-STYLE, FORMAL, PERFECTLY-RHYMED AND MUSICAL VERSE BY THE ROMANTICS, SUCH AS KEATS, GEORGE GORDON,LORD BYRON, CHARLES SWINBURNE, P. B. SHELLEY AND E. A. POE. IT IS EXTREMELY RARE NOW, IN AMERICA AT LEAST, TO FIND A POET WHO NOT ONLY COMPARES TO THESE GREAT POETIC GIANTS, BUT WHO, IN SOME CASES, ACTUALLY SURPASSES THEM IN HIS ABILITY TO SUSTAIN ATMOSPHERE, RHYTM, TENSION AND PERFECTION OF END AND INTERNAL RHYME. MR. KEVIN NICHOLAS ROBERTS HAS ACCOMPLISHED ALL OF THESE THINGS. I HAVE GIVEN COPIES OF BOTH HIS BOOKS, FATAL WOMEN & QUEST FOR THE BELOVED, TO ALL THE POETRY LOVERS I KNOW, AND AS A DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN LITERATURE:POETRY, I KNOW QUITE A FEW. WITHOUT FAIL, HE HAS PLEASED AND AMAZED THEM ALL! THE ONLY COMPLAINTS I HAVE HEARD IS THAT THE BOOK IS TOO BRIEF--IT CONTAINS ONLY 21 POEMS (SOME VERY LONG, OTHERS SONNNETS, SHORT RONDELS AND THE LIKE, AVERAING ABOUT 3 PAGES PER POEM. THOUGH MY TWO FAVORITE POEMS, "OPHELIA" AND "ALLAYNE" ARE BOTH OVER 10 PAGES IN LENGTH, ACHIEVING WHAT POE ONCE SAID WAS IMPOSSIBLE: TO SUSTAIN PERFECTION AND ATMOSPHERIC TENSION FOR MORE THAN 40 STANZAS. ROBERTS DOES THIS AND MUCHMORE IN "ALLAYNE."

DUE TO SPACE LIMIATATIONS, I WOULD LIKE TO CONCKUDE BY SIMPLY SAYING THAT THIS IS THE BEST POETRY COLLECTION I HAVE READ FROM A POET WRITING AFTER 1909. IF YOU LIKE THE CONTEMPORARY, UNRHYMING, EXPERIMENTAL POETRY, YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH MY FEELING THAT THIS WORK IS EXCEPTIONALLY MOVING AND IMPOSSIBLE TO READ ONLY ONCE. I'VE HAD THE COLLECTION FOR 2 YEARS, AND I STILL READ IT ALMOT EVERY NIGHT BEFORE BED. IT GIVES ME NEAUTIFUL, WONDERFULLY ROMANTIC DREAMS WHEREIN I AM THE HEROINE, THE POET MY DARK KNIGHT, CARRYING ME AWAY TO A FAIRYLAND BEYOND MOST CONTEMPORARY IMAGINATIONS. OH! AND HE EVEN "COMPLETED" SAMUEL T. COLERIDGE'S POEM FRAGMENT "KUBLA KHAN!" AND IT'S BRILLIANT, WRITTEN PRECISELT 200 YEARS AFTER THE ORIGINAL AND SUSTAINING EXACTLY THE ORIGINAL POEM'S LANGUAGE, MOOD AND GENIUS. GET THIS BOOK, OR GIVE IT TO SOMEONE WHO MELTS UNDER THE OTUCH OF THE ROMANTICS. YOU WILL NEVER WANT TO PART WITH IT. AND IT EVEN LOOKS BEAUTIFUL--VERY HIGH-QUALITY PRODUCTION WITH J. WTERHOUSE'S GLORIOUS "OPHELIA" PAINTING ON THE FRONT AND BACK COVERS. GET IT, READ IT, CRY AND SIGH OVER IT, AND LET IT CARRY YOU INTO DREAMLAND. I COULD LOVE THIS MAN. :)

I highly recommend this book by poet Kevin Roberts. He has an eloquent way with words. From the beginning to the end of the book I found myself transported into the poems. This book is so beautifully written. This author is a master poet!

I just got this book yesterday and I have already read it through about 1ten times. How could this poetry collection exist since 2000 and I never heard of it. I love Romantic poetry, and NOBODY TOLD ME!!!!

The reviewer on the back cover describes Kevin N. Roberts as "Easily one of the ten greatest poets of past and present centuries." He is, without doubt, exactly correct.

The book focuses on the femme fatales of history and, apparently, of the poet's own life and experience. My faves are: OPHELIA, ALLAYNE (breathless!!!), HYACINTHE, MORTICHE AND, THE INCONSTANT CLAYRE.

ALLAYNE seems like an impossible poem to write. How did he do it? Poe says it could not be done, to sustain perfection beyond 40 stanzas. But this man did, and did it better than Poe or any of his contemporaries. Unbelieveable!

If he ever comes out with another poetry collection, SOMEONE BETTER TELL ME. I WANT IT!

I got Kevin Roberts's name and book title--FATAL WOMEN--from a well-respected amazon reviewer. I tried it, and I cannot beli9eve that this man is not the biggest poet working in America and Europe today! He needs advertising.

Oh, and Kevin, if you read this: I LOVE YOU! Will you marry me?

FATAL WOMEN is like an antibiotic for the sickly and weakened body of modern English poetry! Finally we can see that the emperors of what poetry is and is supposed to be, have no clothes, they, in fact, are naked, for FATAL WOMEN has made us see! The last sixty years have seen an amazing outpouring of the most banal and insipid poetry imaginable. A small army of professors, armed with cartloads of advanced degrees in various subgenres of literature, especially the notorious MFA, have reduced poetry to a troglodytic science devoid of all feeling. This handful of folks have written reams of poetry for each other which has been widely published but read only by a very few outside of the cloistered walls of academe. So it is with the greatest brilliance that Kevin Roberts' FATAL WOMEN has arrived in the nick of time to save poetry from total irrelevance in the current age. FATAL WOMEN is full of poetry of the profoundest human feelings elucidated in the most lapidary of styles. His poetry is beautiful! Each poem is like a bright, or dark, willowy sorceress with powers supernaturally benignant or malign. Have you read the great Victorian poet Algernon Charles Swinburne? If you have had the pleasure you will discover something marvelous. Mr. Roberts seems to have, and this most incredibly, fetched the poetic baton from the late Swinburne. Reading FATAL WOMEN is the rarest of treats. The poetry of Mr. Roberts soars on beautiful wings both angelic and demonian. Here is poetry to make the reader cry with joy!

Loved this, all of it, especially the beautiful and smart poetry.

This anthology is not particularly erotic, literate, clever, amusing, or original. If you think it is, you need to read better erotica. There's a boring lecture about abstinence, a fishy story about a cat and canned tuna, a geography lesson that features a woman reciting the capitals of countries, and a simply uninspired recipe for a human strawberry shortcake. The quality of the book is poor, too; after a single reading the binding came apart. Maybe my hands got too excited from reading it? Nah!

I think that what I most enjoy about the "From Porn to Poetry" books, as well as CleanSheets.com, the magazine they originate from, is that you can say something like "sexy, classy, hot, wild, and true" and be accurate in your description. The editor's name, Susannah Indigo, represents authenticity in writing to me, and all of her projects that I've read have been a cut above ordinary erotica. The mix of material in this book ranges from the down and dirtiest stories to elegant, sexual poems, and there's nowhere else you can read that kind of pleasurable mix. The subtitle is "Clean Sheets Celebrates the Erotic Mind," and that's how it felt to me after reading the book - like my "erotic mind" had been thoroughly and joyously "celebrated," honored, turned-on, and was raring to go.

Nothing in the book resembles cheap "Penthouse" stories; stunning stories by writers like Kim Addonizio, Maggie Gray, Mike Kimera, Greg Wharton, and Susannah Indigo herself simply leave you begging for more. I can't recommend these books enough to anyone interested in erotica; I've gifted friends with them and they all agree. They wonder, in fact, where I found them, since there's nothing in big bookstores done as well as this. Thank heavens for the web and the ability for small book publishers to put this cornucopia of erotica out there for us!

I love the mixture of fiction and non-fiction and poetry in this book. All of it is sexy, interesting, fresh and new. Highly recommended, and a great gift for a love to get them talking about what they like.

This is a terrific book, it's sexy and smart and unusual. Some great stories and sexy poems, much better than many erotic books.

This was a Christmas gift from my mother when my children were small. We wore out the book and it has been taped together lovingly to read now to my grandchildren. This is one of my favorites from the book.

The Chickens

Said the first little chicken,
With a strange little squirm,
"I wish I could find
A fat little worm."

Said the next little chicken,
With an odd little shrug:
"I wish I could find
A fat little bug."

Said a third little chicken,
With a small sigh of grief,
"I wish I could find
A green little leaf!"

Said the fourth little chicken,
With a faint little moan,
"I wish I could find
A wee gravel stone."

"Now, see here!" said the mother,
From the green garden patch,
"If you want any breakfast,
Just come here and scratch!"

I was given this book when I was two by my grandmother, a librarian. I have poured over this book from the very first day it was given to me. First, looking at the pictures and having my parents read the nursery rhymes. In elementary school, I began to read it myself. By late elementary school through high school, the book had become a useful reference. I still have the one given to me by my grandmother and absolutely treasure it. I look forward to sharing my book with my soon-to-be born first child.

This collection covers everything from nursery rhymes to Shakespeare. Wonderful illustrations and a great collection of poetry, which doesn't believe that children are too young to grasp the meaning of the poems.

My favorite poem(terrifying) was the Skippery Boo, next, The Tyger (Blake). Great book for parents reading to kids and introducing poetry, at many age levels: great for that. Glad it was reissued and on the market again! And what about James the Snail reaching the end of his brick, eh?!

I was given this book on my 7th birthday and read it over the years until the covers came off. It is full of every delightful children's poem you can imagine. When young, I read the nursery rhymes and "The Moon is the North Wind's Cookie" and "The Duel".

When older, I delighted in "The Village Smithy" "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" and "The Children's Hour".

To this day I can quote great swatches of it. The Joan Anglund drawings are charming and capture all the excitement and inspiration of this wonderful collection. If you at all think your children will like "rhymes" give this one a try.

This book originally came out back in the 1950's and my mother used to read it to me every night since I was an infant (that was nearly four decades ago). This is the book that got me to love reading. I recently bought a number of copies for friends and family who just had children and there is only one minor change from the older editions: five poems were removed because today they would be considered quite racist. But the tone of the book and the illustrations are superb! Untermeyer (editor) did a wonderful job of collecting funny, witty, deep, and profoundly moving series of poems that will appeal to anyone. Among my favorites are: "The Owl and the Pussycat", "Winken, Blinken, and Nod", "Father William", and "Little George."

This book is a must for children. I cannot say enough about it. Just buy it and keep a few extra copies on hand to give away. You will not regret it!

I got this book for my dad who I just found out has cancer. He was told to get some reading material to bring for when he gets chemo- but something with short stories because your attention span is shorter. He has really enjoyed it.

"A Good Day Anyway" is an inspirational journey about the importance of maintaining a possitive attitude when a person is diagnosed with and goes through treatment for cancer. While I have been fortunate not to have had cancer, I have lived through my child having cancer. Her mother and I would have loved to have had this small but mighty book to help keep our spirits up while going through the process. We too believed that a possitive attitude was paramount to her survival and still do 24 years later as she celebrates her 30th birthday next month! What a great tool this book is. It is a must read for all persons who have been affected either directly or indirectly with cancer.

This little book is so much fun, it makes it even better that I know one half of this amazing couple, but it truly does make light of a terrible disease, I have shared it with so many people since reading it. Being a health care provider I know this should be a staple bedside companion in any medical facility.

Dave Massey's inspired poetry reminds everybody that no matter how bad it gets it is better to make the best of it. His example of positive thinking is at the essence of the human spirit and what we can achieve when we've got our minds right. I would recommend this book to anyone going through cancer, but especially to everybody else, because there is no time for negative energy- it is a waste and a detriment to our society.

I bought one of the first copies of A Good Day Anyway. My review has been a long time coming. Dave Massey is my son. I have read his poems over and over for the past 10 years. Each time they bring tears to my eyes. Tears of joys, he won two battles with cancer. Tears of pride, he wrote most of them when he was barely able to hold a pen or pencil. Tears of thanks, to the Doctors and Nurses who took care of him. A Good Day Anyway is not just beneficial for those dealing with cancer but for the loved ones, family, and friends that are also involved. I have made copies of these poems to share with those who themselves or their family member are battling cancer. I highly recommend that everyone read this little book as it is encouraging to know that someone out there beat the odds and became a better person because he had cancer.

Bob Tucker has a unique ability to make us smile...a great gift particularly when writing stories for children. One of his characters, Sammy Snake is a favorite for both parents and children at a library story time. His book is a wonderful addition to my home bookshelf.

My son and I have read this book together from cover to cover laughing all the way. We have truly enjoyed each and every story. It would be hard to pick a favorite because all of them are so cute, but I guess it would be the one where Sammy Snake gets stuck in cement trying to write a letter to Sally Snake. What is especially good about these stories is that they teach good morals to children without boring them. It gets the message across in a humorous way that children love. My son likes the rhyming style which is fun and easy to read, and I think every child would love Grandpa Tucker's stories.

(Joni Miller)

Grandpa Tucker's Rhymes & Tales is a great book full of peoms for any ages. About half of the peoms are about a funny snake whos always on different adventures, like when he meets a vampire on Halloween night in "Sammy, The Snickers Snake" and when Sammy and his friends help out the Easter Bunny in "The Easter Snakes." Also there are other stories about people other then Sammy Snake, like "Willie Worm" and "Rodney Rooster." This is a great book and I just didn't give it a five star because with me it is harder to get a five star than it is the find a needle in a hay stack. So I award this book four stars for it being great!

I've known Grandpa Tucker my whole life, but even if I didn't his book of wonderful rhymes and stories are beloved by children all over! Its the kind of stuff that gives kids the giggles so badly that they get hiccups!

Buy this book for the children in your life!

- added: Grandpa Tucker passed away, but he left this wonderful legacy for children for years to come. If you get one book to read to your kids, get this one. They will surely love it as silliness abounds. This book will be something they treasure the rest of their lives and they will teach their children the rhymes.

This is an OUTSTANDING collection of stories!
It is a great bedtime story book and a good
book for use when a child is ready to advance
from picture books to something a bit more
advanced.

Grooks is one of the few books I've read many times. There are some amazing things hidden in this book; I am always finding deeper meanings.

Grooks are short poems, often humorous and sometimes politically correct, but mostly entertaining and accompanied by amusing illustrations

Amazon's listing only shows one of the 5 books that I have in my collection. These are quick (5-10 lines) and easy reads that you can bounce back with friends and loved ones after tea.

You will probably recognize more than one of his "Grooks" (extremely short axiomatic poems accompanied by small humorous illustrations). Almost impossible to describe, just by it if you have a chance.

I read (and owned) this whole series when they first came out, and got in the habit of buying extra copies to give deserving friends. Unfortunately I only still have the first three, due to the trials of moving :-(

It boggles my mind that they are no longer in print, as the wit and wisdom contained in these slender volumes belies the brevity of their format. I heard a rumor that they are going to go back into production sometime soon - if true I will probably buy a dozen of each for goft giving ;-)

Heavy/Light book - hard to explain. There is a realness to the characters that made me say "Hey, I know that person!" and sometimes even, "Eeek! Too like the self I don't want to be!" This ain't no fairytale collection. This is life, complete with trips to the toilet. Not exactly anti-heros, the main characters show their flaws unknowingly as they search to move forward, often even unsure what direction is forward or which way to up. Some do successfully navigate towards up. There is some hope. But some also stagnate and a few slide further down. The stories hang in my head weeks after reading them. Thankfully, Bannan has a wonderful dry wit that helps us do more than muck our way through human exposure. We can wade along splashing, enjoying the lightness of the weight that reveals our world to us and makes us think.

Keith Banner, just reviewed in the New York Times for his "Smallest People Alive," also from Carnegie Mellon University Press, says on the Inventing Victor back cover: "Jennifer Bannan's Inventing Victor is a sharply written collection of funny, unnerving short stories that never settle for easy answers. Bannan's characters, self-reflective losers negotiating their ways through life with the low-volume enthusiasm of pro-bowlers, narrate each story in deceptively simple voices. But the stories themselves are never simple or deceptive. Bannan is after a kind of truth most literary writers try to avoid: brutal honesty in the face of all the bad things human beings do to each other. The title story alone is worth the price of admission. Fast-paced yet creepily intense, hilarious and very sad, it tells the story of a 15-year-old girl who can't stop lying, even while she knows this lying is slowly destroying her life. As you read this story, you start questioning all the lies you've ever told in order to impress people, all the ways in which dishonesty is sometimes all you have to keep yourself interesting, and maybe even aware of who you are."

This is the kind of book you want to give as a gift to all your friends. In fact, I did that. It's a beautiful collection of witty and moving stories, with characters who are so vividly drawn they seem like people you might have known once. It's the kind of book you'll read more than once; the kind of book that makes you remember why you love short stories. I highly recommend it.

We've all read stories that wipe out any trace of energy by trying so hard to be profound. And then there is gorgeous prose that doesn't manage to say much of anything. And then there is Inventing Victor. With pitch-perfect language, fresh takes on familiar insecurities and fantasies, and one wicked sense of humor, this one stays with you long after you're turned the last page. A really stunning debut.

Ms. Bannan's style defies categorization in that her stories are seemingly unrelated and there is no recognizable theme unifying them, which makes for each story its' own unique read, and makes for a small book packing an assortment of refreshing voices. She also embodies a literary style that is both masculine and feminine, vulnerable and pragmatically caustic. She is a fine teller of stories, less focused on melodic writing than on luring you in with the guts of the story itself, with the guts of the characters' thoughts and actions, and thus you are anxious to know what precisely is going to happen next. Written with a good deal of assurance, confidence and downright moxy.

This book is a "must" have 4 all poets!
It not only has great poetry, it has great writing.
Most poetry books, in my opinion, are overly priced. This excellent book is well worth the price.
I highly recommend this book. I like that fact that it has so many different poets writing the poetry. A book this size would become boring if only one poet wrote it.
I appreciate the effort that went into publishing this book and I also love the warm colors of the bookcover.
This journey into "Timbooktu" is a great read.
Thanks 4 sharing with us, Mr. Vaughn Jr. & contributors.

Poetry and prose come together in a journey of discovery to and from the e-land of TimBookTu.com. The selected writers in this work of an African American Poetic Odyssey have made the journey from aspiring to arriving literary voices.

...I personally feel that "Journey to Timbooktu," is an excellent edition to any anthology readers library. It has short fiction of many genre's (Horror, romance, suspense, ect.), heartwarming and at times tear jerking poetry. Also a variety of essays and other scriptured jewels, from some of the most talented writer's in the world. Mephis Vaughan has an eye for talent as well as a knack for the written word himself. I can't wait to see what he does with volume two. If you don't have a copy go out right now and buy one. As for those select few who can just order online and have it shipped to your home...buy two. You know friends and family are going to want to read one, so you need to have an extra one for yourself. To all the artists who contributed to the success of the manuscript..excellent job!!! I wish you continued success and best of luck on all future artistic endeavors.

Sincerely,
Levi James Baldwin III

The writings in this book will take you on a tireless journey through the Afro-American experience with poetry, essays,and short stories.
Many will touch your heart. A favorite will stay with you forever,and the desire to read on relentlessly will captivate you. I was taken through a wonderful journey from beginning to end.

Journey to Timbooktu is a must purchase! This anthology definitely offers an excellent array of diverse authors, writing styles and genres to explore from an African American perspective. Memphis has done a wonderful job in selecting the writings and offering something for everyone's palette. What a wonderful gift and treasure.