Poetry Books

Everyone can relate to at least one of the poems in this book. The author takes a common thread (loss) and puts it between the cover of a very well compiled book. This is a wonderful book to have in your collection!

Naomi Shihab Nye has compiled an anthology not only for young adults, but for anyone who has experienced loss. Highly recommended.

I purchased this book on a whim for my 9 year old son. He found some of the ideas very sad. We enjoyed talking about the different types of losses. I definately got more out of it than he did. I have enjoyed sharing it with my friends. The poetry comes from many kinds of experiences and is a great all around poetry experience.

This is a collection of poems about losing things, for all age groups. From losing pencils, keys, toys, parents, siblings, spouses, trust and freindship. A very moving book of poetry. It contains excellent black and white illustrations and I recommend it for students from the 5th grade up, as well as parents and teachers.

Wow. This book is amazing...This book seems to apply to life, no matter what is going on. The poetry in this book seems to span across so many issues, and so many age groups. I just keep coming back to it.

I tried reading one of the poems over the phone to my friend but it just didn't work. You really have to read the words yourself to get the true genius of it. Do you love spite, self-deprecation, a beautiful observation and a good joke? Then this is for you.

for the past year or so i have been making an attempt to become a fan of poetry. there have been some ups and many downs. but i am now pleased to give a shout out to a poet i can honestly call my first favorite. tony hoagland's the name. smart with words, this fella. sad stuff & funny stuff, & stuff to make one think about the old life. and a genius who avoids pretension i would say, and will say: a genius who avoids pretension. not one reference to greek mythology in these poems (thank God!) as far as i can recall. intelligent straightforward and a joy to read. he riffs with words like john coltrane does with music, free from cliche, hitting unexpected places: places that are either fun or a revelation to visit. i loved this book, as well as his equally great "sweet ruin." i suggest that you read this man's work.

But, in this hugely funny and sometimes mean-spirited, book, Tony Hoagland really gives the therapy community something to think about. I was particularly drawn to the poem "Hate Hotel" because of its forthright and unsentimental take on the power and passion of hate. I was also intrigued with "Suicide Song", which reflected a mature understanding of why, as we grow older, the only responsible choice is "life."

If you're looking for a book that is funny, wise, and sometimes wicked, this is the book for you.

I had the wonderful pleasure of seeing Tony Hoagland read at a conference in Austin, TX, and I can say without exaggeration that it was one of the most inspiring events I've ever attended. It's a sad truth that at many writing conferences, one can experience almost as much disappointment as they do elation. With Hoagland, though, there's no need to worry.

Hoagland's work is gutsy, comical, dark yet hopeful, accessible, and tenacious in its quest to clarify the human experience. I immediately purchased all of Hoagland's books, and read each one almost straight through. While I'll admit that the first section of "What Narcissism Means to Me" doesn't, in my opinion, equal the poems in the three sections after, many of the poems in this book--especially "Suicide Song", "Windchime", and "Man Carrying Sofa"--are honestly some of the best poems I've ever read, bar none.

Like all of Hoagland's work, I highly recommend this book!

While taking a poetry class from Mark Jarman, I had the chance to hear Tony Hoagland read selections from this, his newest book, as well as selections from Donkey Gospel, along with some unpublished works. If at all possible, hear this man read his poetry--it is incomparable and surprisingly refreshing. I usually don't like poetry readings, but after hearing some of these poems, I ended up buying two of his books, and they haven't ceased to amaze me yet. This poetry is not afraid of mentioning such common things as a "kissy-face," and at the same time, not afraid to confront the emotions tied to being a human being.

The book is carried by cleverness and puns, which makes it enjoyable, yet light. This is not a book I would treasure or re-read to children, simply because it does not compel me to...it doesn't seem to strike any real emotions. The book is a series of poems with varying lengths, rhythms, and rhyme schemes--and many of the poems are too short to amount to much (to the author's credit, I think she has great ideas, but cuts them off too soon), and some of the poems flow better than others.

A playful work overall that I recommend if you are looking for a little language fun, and not a real story. I look forward to seeing this author's development in future books.

WOOL GATHERING by Lisa Wheeler is a "shear" delight of a book. Great for repeated readings. This book of silly sheep rhymes will make us all look a little closer as relatives arrive for the holiday season. Don't we all have fussy uncles, slightly dim aunts, and cousins no one mentions at the dinner table? And aren't all the new members of the family welcomed and kissed and handed from loving arms to loving arms?

Give WOOL GATHERING for Christmas. This sheep family reunion story, hilariously illustrated by Frank Ansley, will give your family a chance to gather round and laugh at themselves. Make it a family tradition.

"Wool Gathering" has become a favorite book in our home. It unabashedly celebrates a wacky, wonderful sheep family. Each poem introduces readers to a new endearing character. My daughter's favorite is Aunt Eweginia who knits herself nude. You'll have a hard time choosing your favorite! Ms. Wheeler's impressive rhyming verse is enhanced by Ansley's charming illustrations.

This book will have your whole flock laughing out loud!

My kids love this book. . .my class loves this book. . .I love this book!

The words are rich and luxurious. . .like fleece keeping you warm in the snow. :))

Take this book WITH you on your holiday travels, your holiday visits. It will charm hearts over cups of hot chocolate. It will make your loved ones smile with you. It will make the kids crowd round to get the best view of the sheepish illustrations.
:) It's a TEN! Why can I only give this five stars? (G)

Very rarely do we get to find poetry that dovetails the best of traditional, with the best of now. . .making that singsong layering that you revisit again and again- each time getting another angle from the text.

Lisa Wheeler's rhyme will have you reliving those "a-ha" moments from your own family memories.

You're going to say, "When is her next book coming out? I HAVE to get it!"

. . .everyone asks to borrow this book and I tell them to go buy their own copy. ;-) There's the books you lend, and then there's the books you just can't bear to part with. Ewe know what I mean! :))

"Ewes/and rams/and little lambs,/arrive in buses, trucks, and vans./They travel far to meet their kin./Each cousin wears a sheepish grin./And as the flock begins to gather,/you will see they're really rather/odd, but in a woolly way./So stay-/each ewe, each ram, each little lambly-/stay and meet this close-knit fambly." Come enjoy the day with Odd Ephram, "...the cousin/that no one talks about./He traded in his woolly coat/and now wears sauerkraut", Aunt Eweginia, Sister Alabaster, "...with fleece as white as snow,/is a Kung-Fu master,/excels at Tae Kwon Do...", and Old Ramses, Little Bo Sheep, Felice, "...her wool is big and puffy./Says Felice,/I'm not obese!/Don't call me fat. I'm fluffy!", Uncle Abe Ram, Woolverton, and the rest of the flock as they brunch and lunch, play baa-dminton, and take a sheep dip in the lake. Lisa Wheeler's whimsical and charming poems are filled with puns, clever wordplay, and irresistibly endearing characters that will delight readers from 3 to 93. Frank Ansley's bold and bright artwork adds to all the fun as he captures each verse with expressive humor and wit. This is a captivating collection that begs to be shared and read aloud. So meet the flock, and enjoy a great day, because as with all family reunions and great books, the fun is over way too soon. "So long...farewool...good-baaa."

Charles Simic, The World Doesn't End: Prose Poems (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990)

Charles Simic won the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for The World Doesn't End, and it is blessedly easy to see why. This collection (which, despite its subtitle, is mostly prose poems, with a few "regular" poems thrown in for good measure) could easily be a primer for the aspiring poet on exactly how to write a prose poem. (Would that more who attempt it had read this!) In the days when prose poetry has fallen so far from the poetic tree that a new subgenre, "flash fiction," had to be invented for the mass of the unpoetic claptrap, Simic gives us a book full of wonderful tall tales, flights of fancy, and utterly poetic language, all without ever once straying from the idea that what he is writing in these small pieces is, in fact, poetry.

"The dog went to dancing school. The dog's owner sniffed vials of Viennese air. One day the two heard the new Master of the Universe pass their door with a heavy step. After that, the man exchanged clothes with his dog. It was a dog on two legs, wearing a tuxedo, that they led to the edge of the common grave. As for the man, blind and deaf as he came to be, he still wags his tail at the approach of a stranger." --untitled (p. 40)

The World Doesn't End caused me to re-evaluate my ideas on what poetry is. Perhaps it is not, as Eliot would have it, language elevated; perhaps, instead, it is language as it should be. The standard as opposed to the elevation, the diction we should be striving for in our daily lives.

The finest book of poetry to cross my desk since Reznikoff's classic By the Waters of Manhattan half a decade ago. Must reading for poetry fans, and engaging stuff in prose form for those who don't do poetry. Just think of it as the best flash fiction ever written. In any case, whatever you have to do to convince yourself to do so, read this book. *****

It hardly seems worthwhile for me to review this book since literally every blurb of it I've read here has been a 5-star rave. Nonetheless, I felt like I should add my $0.02US.

I may be unfairly biased, as this slim volume was my first introduction to Mr. Simic's work. Maybe if I'd read, say, "Walking the Black Cat" I would feel the same way about it, but be that as it may, I can safely say that "The World Doesn't End" is one of the best books I've read in any genre. I clearly remember the experience of reading it for the first time. Mr. Simic's tone is so direct and intimate that he immediately draws you in and then, when he's got you where he wants you, he proceeds to completely take you apart. The ground slips from under your feet. Tiny bombs explode in the foundational tissues of your cortex. Realigments occur.

My only regret is that I can never have the same experience again because... I've already read the damned book! Will someone please figure out a way to erase my memory so that I can go back and do it again? Simic. Are you working on this?

A truly original mystical poet. Reading this book was expensive for me, leaving me no choice but to order numerous, Charles Simic books.

The World Doesn't End surprised me in many ways. It was unlike any other volume of his work I have yet read. I was so enthralled I read it cover to cover twice in the first week after I received it. I would have to say that this volume and Simic's "A Wedding in Hell" are two of my favorite volumes of poetry by any poet. Simic has a gift for combining the grotesque/bizarre with the everyday and condensing them down into compact poems that evoke the experience of lucid dreams. I highly recommend this small book!

In a time when many critics despise the prose poem, brushing it aside, refusing to accept such work into the usual canon of lyric poetry, Charles Simic defies all boundaries, combining prose form with a lyrical quality often absent in accepted "lyric" verse.
Simic's world of fantasy and surrealism don't come off as dreamy as one might think. If anything, he is somewhat of a journalist, reporting on events, images, people, animals, gypsies, etc., but from a purely personal perspective, a perspective we all can identify with because we see the world in similar fashion.
There are few poets more intimate than Simic. When looking through his eyes, which have seen and survived much, one can't get closer to one of contemporary poetry's strongest voices.

you are a little bit happier than i am is about severely depressed hamsters. you are a little bit happier than i am is about existential despair. if you are a little bit happier than i am is about severely depressed hamsters, then cognitive-behavioral therapy is about a way for severely depressed hamsters to maybe transcend existential despair.

I enjoyed this short book of new poetry. Tao Lin is ordinary and honest, making him an excellent poet.

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[...]

I don't think I usually like poetry. I went to a poetry reading tonight and I did not enjoy it. I liked this book. It was like reading transcripts of my own thoughts. It validated my thoughts somewhat I guess, in letting me know that other people thought similar things, and that other other people were publishing transcripts of them. I think writing like this is positive in that it encourages calm reflection on one's own life through direct analysis of another's. I feel like an idiot right now. I have tried to describe why I like this book. I like this book.

Motifs in _you are a little happier than i am_ include emails, fruit, hamsters, loneliness, beauty, and sadness--what would have been a difficult and problematic combination of objects and abstract terms in the hands of a less talented poet. Tao Lin, however, links these elements effectively with plain, frank language that conveys immediate feelings and observations, often with sympathetic or humorous results.

The surprising concerns in these poems range from the personal to what many readers may resonate with. For example, in the poem "thanksgiving," Lin writes:

i feel most comfortable around middle-class japanese people
i know they are all thinking the same things as me

WHY ARE THE LINES SO LONG?
WHY AM I IN NEW JERSEY?

though their faces appear calm
their thoughts are exactly like i just put them
(Lin)

It does not seem to matter here whether the people are middle-class Japanese or middle-class any-other-American-or-foreigner. Lin points out how anyone might feel in this situation: the lines are long, and (more philosophically) why New Jersey? The contrast between calm faces, yelling interior monologue, the poet himself and Japanese people proves humorous when one reads Lin's conclusion to the poem "we just want to get our food/ and eat it/...and go to sleep."

An uniquely enjoyable, highly recommended collection. Tao Lin's other books include Bed, Eeeee Eee Eeee, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.

I found this book by chance while browsing amazon.com; complete chance. What luck, what amazing luck! This is truly the most useful book in existence for any poet young or old, amateur or professional. Not only is the list of publishers ENORMOUS but the book provides you with inside contact information as well as what type of poetry each publisher wants, all organized so it's easily located in the book. There's also an excellent brief section on etiquette when submitting and other formal things that give you an inside track on the editor. No poet can live without this book. Buy it now, it's WELL worth the price!!

I use this book to send submissions of my poetry to various magazines. The biggest help has been in introducing me to magazines that are not available at your average bookstore. The other thing is that I had no idea of the format of a submission before I first picked this book up. I have at least gotten read a couple of times, even if I did get rejection slips. Don't let this book scare you. There's so much information here that it's a little overwhelming. I have the 2001, but I would recommend buying the latest edition. You might even want to wait and buy the 2003. Also, hang in there. Being a poet in 2002 is a little difficult I know.

This book is an indispensable resource for both the beginning and the established poet. It is simply packed with ways to make your voice heard. 100% updated every year, you cannot go wrong with this bbook.

Poets faithfully depend on Poet's Market for their #1 reference. Market guidelines by the thousands are readily available. As an editor of a literary magazine, I can tell you candidly, that its greatest advantages for the poet of 2000 are Poet's Market inclusion of: the subject index, poetry websites, publications that accept e-mail submissions, and chapbook publishers. Poet's Market 2000 gives the poet a bona fide chance at publication.

There's too much competition for a poet and not enough time to waste knocking at the wrong door with the improper product. You've got to click on the advantage...be at the right place at the right time. I always suggest studying Poet's Market to my contributors. Submission procedures and needs change...stay in tune with a fresh copy of Poet's Market.

It's not often you find a book that will become an heirloom - but this one will. It is an amazing combination of entertainment and education that you and your child will enjoy for many years. The way that it explains the fundamental qualitites that make us human in a continuous rhyme that's fun to read is extraordinary. Kids and the adults that read it with them will forever be enriched by this book. I would recommend it for kids of all ages.

Theresa McKeown has so beautifully written a book for children to let THEM know just how special they are.
As an adult, I was immediately taken back to my childhood. I so wish this book had been available to me
when I was a child. The twenty-six illustrations which accompany each letter of the alphabet are just
exceptional. "The ABC's of Being Me" may be for children -- however, parents and adults will enjoy reading
this book as well.

I thought this was going to just be a book about learning the ABC's and was thrilled to discover it's so much more! It's really about celebrating how wonderful it is to be who you and all the great qualities that are a part of every person. You will never get tired of reading this.

A beautiful and inspiring book that teaches children the magic of who they are and the wonders of the world that they live in. Full of great teachings and written with pizazz and joy. A real keeper!

Patrice

I think that this book perfectly balances what I need to teach along with what keeps children involved and stimulated in the classroom. The beautiful illustrations alongside of the exceptional writing is exactly the kind of literature I look forward to sharing with my students. It is a perfect book to use for a drama type reading, especially for ESL (English as a Second Language)students. Teachers can use this as a great tool for such a purpose. This book does not take the reader for granted, choosing instead to respect their innate intelligence. I look forward to more of the same from the author. I hope that she'll touch on some new subjects in the future such as science, math or even social studies. Either way, I look forward to including this great book in my everyday curriculum.

When I leave San Quentin's death row, and I feel I am not qualified to carry the lessons I've learned, the truth I have seen, I read Asha's words and find strength. Her words are a gift to all of us, words I find myself reading again and again. Thank you, Asha. May you find continued courage to speak.

one line in the title poem for Audre Lorde: " "you left me there with / your head raised and still dreadlocked walking/ toward the beginnings of your death"

one poem: 4:15 a.m./ a jailhouse luv story: "in this institution that is rank with the bizarre & vicious oder of/ annihilation,/ we have only ourselves to hold up as light and possibility/ and i hold you up & i hold you in as/people tell me i am crazy,/loving you across barbed wire & time/ but i believe in our love because you struggle with me"

OK next poem your turn to pick.... as you can tell I love this poet.

I stumbled across Bendele during an Amazon.com search for new poets and ordered this book as a gift based only on the reviews. I feel SO lucky to have found it. Bendele writes raw, powerful, honest poetry that causes the reader to draw in a deep, sudden breath time and time again as each poem surprises and enlightens. Bendele says the things that need to be said, and she does it so well that her message is unforgettable and undeniable.

And the best thing? You may be reading her poetry silently to yourself, but it reads like it's being spoken aloud to a packed auditorium. As a reader you get the sense that you're on the edge of something big and brilliant - the end of denial, and the acknowledgment of survival and hope in a painful and unjust world.

Please, Ms. Bendele, more, more, more!

Asha Bandele is the Maya Angelou of my generation. I have read this book over a hundred times and have bought numerous copies for my friends (both men and women). Asha blesses each page with her truth and ability to express it so fluently. She gives back to all that are reaching out for a positive yet realistic voice.

Asha Bandele has a way with words. As always she calls us to dissect ourselves. To dig away at the surface in order to reach the core. Her words of poetry float over each page, and is able to attack the mind and force us to think. She is able to deliver and articulate what we think but so often afraid to say. She is the voice of my generation. A voice demanding to be heard.

"Afroetry is educational and motivational. This interesting book of poetry sparks deep reflection and inspiration."

"It is a wonderful compilation of afrocentric poetry that touches on interesting subject matter that will encourage and uplift, while providing thoughts for readers to ponder."

"Linda Mayfield-Hayes brilliantly utilizes poetic expressions to enlighten readers. Presenting a gentle reminder to all the significant contributions of African Americans."

Afroetry is a wonderfully satisfying collection of poetry by Linda Mayfield-Hayes. In compiling this impressive opus, Hayes has attempted to shed light on the various aspects of Black history & culture that are often ignored by the media and in classrooms, and, after reading even a portion of what she has to share, you'll thank her for her commendable efforts.

As of late, discussions regarding race relations have too often been reduced to the back-and-forth slinging of hackneyed clichés and over-simplified characterizations; in Afroetry, Hayes takes a refreshing dive into real (often uncomfortable) honesty, invoking the reconciliation that can only come through indulgence in real truth. Consider her take on the N-word in her poem, "Nigger":

They call me nigger
I was made in God's image
They blasphemy God.


And this passage from "Modern Day Slave":

Private companies also profit
Off the sweat of prisoners backs
The majority of these inmates
Just happen to be male blacks;


Rather than recycle rhetoric or quote statistics, Hayes aims straight for the heart of racial conflict in America, and does so quite effectively.

Of course, no treatise on Black culture would be complete without a proper sense of history, and Hayes provides numerous historical gems regarding African-American lore, including tales of the Tulsa race riot of 1921, the achievements of Farrah Gray, and even a secret female member of the famed Buffalo Soldiers. She also waxes philosophic on six year-old Ruby Bridges's experiences in integrating Franz Elementary School in "From The Mouth Of A Babe":

President Eisenhower ordered Federal Marshals
To escort her to and from school each day
As she bravely faced the threatening white mob
This is what she would silently pray:

"Please God, try to forgive these people
Because even if they say those bad things
They don't know what they're doing;


To build on its historical commentary, Hayes's collection is also rife with educational nuggets framing the current state of race relations in America. Nowhere else is this more telling than in her stinging rebuke of corporate America in "Unfairness Of Working In America":

"You're an excellent worker" they tell me
"You're really top of the class
But I'm afraid regarding that promotion
We'll simply just have to pass";


She goes on to suggest that entrepreneurship is the best path to take if true economic equality is ever to be attained - and one can hardly fault her in that assessment.

Afroetry comes in at just over 50 pages, but in its brevity is a profundity that many books twice its size often lack. Hayes has compiled a masterpiece of poetic cultural treasures that beckon to be discovered - don't miss your chance to be enriched.

Cathay Williams, Black Wall Street, the attainment of knowledge of self, the elimination of a slave mentality, the Middle Passage, the N-word, a holistic diet - Linda Mayfield-Hayes covers it all in her rhythmic Afroetry. Purposeful, educational and very easy-to-read, Afroetry would make an excellent collection for anyone's library.

Linda Hayes gets two thumbs up for daring to talk about Black History through poetry and from her own perspective. In this short, but deep collection, she introduces readers to many facets of Black History. This collection will poetically speak to you about people like Ruby Bridges, Cathay Williams, and Farrah Gray, a young black man who became a millionaire at the age of 14.

I found AFROETRY to be an easy and exciting read. I enjoyed and was inspired by poems like "DNA: DestiNation Africa," "It Takes a Village," "Second Class Citizens," and "Oklahoma Bombing." This book explores various areas of Black History from African symbols to African traditions and the importance of knowing the truth about history. This author's words are inviting and will cause readers to want to learn more.

AFROETRY is a great read for those who need to be inspired and those who want to be exposed to just a little bit more. But for the Black History lovers and book collectors, the sentiments in this book will stir you up inside and cause you to want to explore. It's obvious that Linda Hayes is passionate about Black History; most importantly, she makes a brave effort to poetically reach back and educate others. Get this book today, not just during Black History Month!

This is an excellent book of poetry. It consists of a variety of poetic forms and styles that are easy to understand, such as acrostic, rhyming couplets, narrative, quatrain, and freeform. The essence of the poems serves as a teaching tool or a memory refresher, depending on one's knowledge of African-American history. Some of the poems have a sense of humor while being very serious at the same time. For instance, the rhyming couplets and message in "It Takes a Village" are outstanding. "Anger Management" really sends an awesome message regarding the existing conflicts in different areas between African-American youth.

There are other ingenious poems in the book, such as, the bombing of the "Black Wall Street" in Oklahoma, which is really an eye opener for everyone (Oklahoma Bombing). "Watch What You Eat" is really a poem to live by because of the medical ailments affecting African-Americans. The Book of Leviticus as stated in the poem has some comprehensive solutions. Linda's faith in God really shines through in this awesome book. The poem "African Burial Ground" in New York is just incredible. I visited the site several years ago and it was just a moving experience. I could write a dissertation on this excellent book; however, one must read it for oneself and feel the humbling experience. I could not put the book down once I started reading until I read the last poem, which linked some of the songs of the unforgettable Luther Vandross into a very thoughtful piece. What a great way to end a book with an awesome and uplifting poem. This book is very poignant and has a positive experience awaiting you. Get your copy today and don't delay. There is an exciting experience awaiting you in the wonderful words of Afroetry!

This book was given to me by a friend; I had her search everywhere for it. Upon a few days after receiving it, I knew her search had not been in vain. This is a marvelous book of poetry with some interesting aspects on life, love and the like.

The poetry in "Ain't I A Woman" presents a wide range of experience and emotion. This is not a book of pretty poems. It is a series of moans, cries and hurrahs from the heart. Jenny Joseph's wonderful "Warning" ("When I am an old woman I shall wear purple")suggests from page one that here will be poems with attitude. They do not disappoint. I like this book very much.

This is one of the best anthologies of poetry I've ever found. The purpose: Bring together words from women of all cultures, all ages, all corners of the world. Here are young women, old women, fat women, starving women, lives touched by peace, war, spiritual joy, physical abuse, passion, motherhood, loss. There are beautiful, haunting words here. There are cold, hard, brutal images here. If you're a woman who complains about feminists, please read this book and try to understand what women have had to go through so that you could be where you are today: free to complain. If only to have a copy of Sojourner Truth's immortal "Ain't I a Woman?" speech from 1852, this book would be worth the price. Read this book for the incredible messages here. You will be moved.

Ain't I a Woman was not a surprise to me. It is full of beautiful works of art. This book is full of voices of many different women, with different lives, different backgrounds but from their voices you can feel their strength and each voice in that book can add to your self-esteem and make you feel stronger about yourself as a women with every poem. Although some poems are not as powerful as others, their messages are still there: "I lived, I saw, I loved, I struggled, I died, but most importantly I felt, felt what life was like and from my words you might learn how it really is to be a woman". This book should be read by anyone who has time get lost in its poetry. I personally read a piece of the book everyday at work and I am glad that I made the time. There are many different writers in this book and I recommend reading different works from those authors as well.

This book obtains its title from Sojourner Truth's incomparable speech in 1851, and for the most part is brilliant and moving. My main complaint is that it focuses on the physical (sex, childbirth, etc.) so much that it could be classified as erotic poetry instead of a full exploration of womanhood. However, look for amazing cultural and chronological diversity in authors, and refreshing humor in poems like "Sho nuff." The development of the book is thematic, according to stages of life by also by subject. Series show different visions of famous women such as Jezebel, Cleopatra, and Medusa, which ends with a hilarious conversation between Medusa and Eve. The poems in this collection really strike - not everyone will like everything, but I'm sure everyone will find SOMETHING in here that really gets their attention. My personal favorite is "Witch." There are dozens of poems in here, enough to make the book seem very long, but since no poem is longer than two pages, I garantee you won't get bored.