Poetry Books

Absolutely amazing! Javan's poems are short and sweet and straight to the point. I found this book at a time that I didn't think anyone knew how I was feeling, but after reading this book, I found that I wasn't alone. I have suggested this book to many people and will continue doing so.

I've got to say the same as I did about some of the other Javan books. Wonderful, but just not up to the par with Something to Someone in my mind. Enjoyable, but just not as much as it could have been.

I've read, purchased again for gifts, given mine away and repurchased for myself. They are excellent bedtime reading and keep right on giving!

Javan writes soundly soul filled expressions on life. This book will stand the test of time and has universal appeal. Simple, direct and sparce use of words add to the ease of thoughtful expression. One of my favorite authors. Paper and print style add to the classic feel.

A beautiful collection of works...Javan writes with a simple, straight-forward style that aims for the soul. He transforms the hardest emotions and feelings into soft, caring words and makes it seem like it came straight from your own heart. I recommend his books to anyone that, like me, doesn't always have the right words to describe how you feel.

I bought this book about 18 years ago. For a little while it was on the shelf after I first read the poems. Then it came down. It's been unshelved for casual reading most of the remaining years. There are witty funny silly poems here. There are deep poems. There are honest revelations of different aspects of life. There are deep penetration into the nuts and bolts of love, into the politics of men and women. There are tears and laughter. There are mirrors to see and shar eyour own life and known you aren't alone, and neither is Marge.
Hope you can get the joy, the understandingt, the laughter and the humanity I got when I bought this book so long ago!

Such lyrical, fluid, graphic poetry! Marge Piercy's work grabbed me and wouldn't put me down. I couldn't stop reading her poetry.

And not only that, but they are powerful and smelly and they MAKE MISTAKES. There is nothing more empowering than finding out that making mistakes is alright, and that was the strongest message I got from this book when I read it at the tender age of 15. It changed my life, ensuring that I would grow to tell boys "NO", and that I would tell myself "YES", and more than that, that I would be able to forgive myself for both of those answers. "Cats Like Angels" and "For Strong Women" should be required reading for all women, and everyone who LOVES women.

I like poetry with imagery that resolves into a shift in vantage point; this is something of which Marge Piercy is a master. The poems are in some aspects raw and gutsy, others are lyrical and meditative. I read "The Doughty Oaks" outloud to someone who also admired its tight imagery of a miser in rags, and the contradiction at the end of the poem. The last set of poems in the book are based on the Celtic Lunar calendar (in name only, this isn't Wicca) as a way for Piercy to celebrate the lunar calendar of the body and of the Jewish religion as well--whose festivals fall on lunar dates and account for our shifting Easter holiday. Well worth reading if you like poetry. This is one book I will be pulling off the shelf from time to time, to find new aspects of meaning.

My copy is the one dog-eared, worn volume always where I can find it on the bookshelf. Usually poetry volumes contain some winners and some losers, but I've read every poem cover to cover repeatedly, had favorites, sent copies to women who inspired me, and loved my copy in some rough times. Piercy's poems raise the bar for what women can be in poetry- hers are real- warts and all. And nevertheless, her first-person poetry makes those flaws both recognizable and even at times endearing. The tragedies are laced with revelation, the lovers are never perfect, and even Piercy's piece devoted to lost luggage evokes those little moments which become laughable and yet epic in their betrayal.

So many essays stay with me. They are written in a short form but packed with a punch! I found myself needing and wanting to feel (more) centered and after reading this book..it has been achieved. It is always great to pick up a book from your bookshelf, hold it in your hands and read..and dream..and remember..and reflect again and again. :)Enjoy!!

I bought this book maybe 10 or 12 years ago very shortly after it was published when I found it in a gift shop near my house. I fell in love with it standing in the store browsing through it and had to take it home. It has travelled with me to 4 states and 6 homes and has consistently been unpacked and placed right back on my bookshelf where it belongs. One of only about 10 books that I can say that about. It inspires me whenever I look at it, full of the most obvious and wonderful wisdom told in the most eloquent voice of Brian Andreas. You will connect with several of the stories you read, probably most of them, and like me you will want to hang them on your wall to remind you daily of how you really feel in your soul. This is a great find.

I bought this book for a friend after he discovered the website and loved all the drawings and stories. I don't think anyone can escape from being touched by them. There is something in there for everyone, for every situation. I highly recommend you give it to someone you love today.

I saw this book in a boutique in Paducah, KY about 4 years ago. Flipping through a few pages, I needed no more convincing. I purchased the book, read it and placed it in our bookcase. Within the last four years, I have had two children and moved to a different town. I was unpacking some boxes the other day when I found this book. There I sat on the floor, reading through it. I couldn't stop until I was done. I logged on to find more of Brian Andreas's work. It is amazing. So simple, yet so touching. You have to read it!

This little book defies classification. It is a collection of goofy-looking, childlike drawings, on one page, and enigmatic strange little aphorisms, on the facing page, all the way through the book. The pages aren't numbered and there are no chapters, so you just have to wander around and experience whatever you happen to find. Whatever time you spend with this book will be worth it.

Author Brian Andreas is one who thinks outside the box. He draws outside the box, too. And you will soon realize, outside the box is a very good place to be. A place to consider what is really important and meaningful: Love, relationships, children, magic. These are the important things.

The childlike manner is deceptive. This is a book of serious wisdom and serious art, with a silly and childlike appearance. If you can play outside the box, you will love this book, and you will want to give it to all your out-of-the-box friends.I can't recommend Mostly True too highly! Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber

"I am a mouse, a white mouse. My name is Emmaline. Before I met Emily, the great poet of Amherst, I was nothing more than a crumb gatherer, a cheese nibbler, a mouse-of-little-purpose. There was an emptiness in my life that nothing seemed to fill. All that changed the day I moved into the Dickinson residence on Main Street..." Emmaline moves into the simple, quiet, sunny upstairs bedroom, and begins her new life in the wainscoting of Emily's room. She observes the Dickinson family, and is most fascinated by her new roommate, Emily. "She always wore white. She seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once, fluttering through the house like a ghost, stirring up a batch of gingerbread in the kitchen, or walking in the garden, lost in reverie..." Emily is always sitting at her little desk in deep concentration, writing and scribbling on small scraps of paper, and this intrigues the little mouse. When a small scrap finally lands on the floor near Emmaline's door, she snatches it up and begins reading. "Imagine my surprise when I realized I was holding a poem! The words spoke to me. These were my feelings exactly, but ones I had always kept hidden for fear the world would think me a sentimental fool..." Emmaline turns the paper over and words begin to pour out of her; a poem of her own. Then she returns the scrap with her new poem on the back to Emily's desk. That night while Emmaline slept, Emily read her poem and wrote back, slipping the note paper under her little mouse door. "I'm Nobody! Who are you?/Are you-Nobody-too/Then there's a pair of us!/Don't tell! they'd banish us-you know!..." And that, as they say, was the beginning of a beautiful friendship..... Elizabeth Spires has written an engaging, gentle, and evocative introduction to the great poet, Emily Dickinson. Her charming and creative story, told often in poems passed back and forth between mouse and Myth, is sometimes poignant, often humorous, and always enlightening. Claire Nivola's black and white sketches complement the text beautifully, and together word and art paint a lovely portrait of the elusive and reclusive Dickinson and her genius, with great insight. Perfect for youngsters 9-12, The Mouse Of Amherst makes an even better read aloud book the entire family can share, and includes an Author's note about Emily Dickinson's life and her poetry to augment and enhance the story and open interesting discussions. This sweet little treasure is sure to whet the appetite of both young and old, and send kids out looking for more. It works well as a companion book to Jeanette Winter's Emily Dickinson's Letters To The World, and Michael Bedard's Emily.

I am a librarian who loves children's literature. I have always been a huge fan of Emily Dickinson. When I bought this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am now in the process of analyzing it for my college classes, and I find it is even richer than I originally thought. The child who is lucky enough to read this book will come away with the idea that the written word is important, and so is to find one's own talents in life,to find what excites a child to feel that a "whirligig is spinning in my brain." The child will find the importance of friendship in this small volume, and will become introduced in an easy way to poetry and Emily Dickinson. It is a timeless piece which can be used in elementary school as well as high school, where a teacher could truly concentrate on the rich imagery and symbolism. Emmaline will touch a child's heart.

Emmaline is a mouse who lives in a house in Emily Dickinson's room. They become friends very quickly and write poems together.

This was an excellent book, and I recommend it to everyone.

Emmaline is a mouse who lives behind the wainscoting of Emily Dickinson's bedroom and is a small, but courageous writer. The Mouse Of Amherst is a unique and effective little story for young children that aptly introduces wonderful poetry woven into the warm and superbly crafted story. Illustrations by Claire A. Nivola are perfect augmentations to Elizabeth Spires's engaging and memorable tale.

I RECOMMEND THE MOUSE OF AMHERST, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIKE POEMS. IT IS ABOUT A MOUSE NAMED, EMMALINE WHO GOES TO LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE AS A POET NAMED ELIZABETH. THEY WRITE POEMS TO TELL EACH OTHER THINGS. ONE DAY THE MOUSE TRAPPER COMES . WILL EMMALINE BE OK? READ THIS BOOK TO FIND OUT!

The book showed up in a timely fashion and was brand new, just like it said online.

Terrance Hayes is a name you will see again. I promise you.

An earlier edition of this book came into my hands shortly after I worked with this wonderful poet at a seminar for younger poets. A wonderful first collection. So human it hurts. Get it now that it's back in print!

I just had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Terrance Hayes read at the University of Idaho. He was nervous, I think, and the room was big and strange, but this young man can write. He can really write. The new book--HIP LOGIC--is going to be terrific, and I'll bet each book that comes after will be better yet. A really splendid new talent.

I first became familiar with Mr. Hayes' work, when i saw his poem "Blackbird" in a 1995 double issue of ObsidianII: Black Literature In Review. It appeared opposite a poem I publshed in the journal. Every poem in Muscular Music, is a snapshot about African American life, and sings a song of america: "Late," "Goliath," "Something For Marvin," "Blackbird," "The Yummy Suite," " What I am..." The Black experience is all in here... I was laughing my ass off at " I want to be fat" and I'm a big guy.Expect Terrence Hayes to be a major poet in the literary canon.

Terrance Hayes has written a book where the poems have bite. These poems are hard-hitting, honest, sincere and yet suffused with "tenderness." "Yummy Suite" is one of the most powerful sequence of poems I have read anywhere that confront what is going on in our urban neighbourhoods today. I also loved "Late," "Goliath" and too many more to name. Here is a writer well worth getting to know. If I may riff on the Reuben Jackson quote that serves as an epilogue, Terrance Hayes' Muscular Music is a book that also "reveals itself" one splendid "black note at a time." Buy this book -- read it aloud and share it with a friend!

What god or goddess at which mystery school taught Bruce MacKinnon the strong love and yearning that he shows for his father, mother, wife and son and who taught him the felicitous turns of phrase that give them life on these pages? What woman would not want to be the inspiration for "Atlantis" or the child commemorated by the "Butter Knife" or the mother so tenderly recalled in "Stories?" B. Forden

MacKinnon's poetry is intense, sometimes dark, definitely mood-altering, and nothing short of brilliant! I tried to limit myself to reading only one or two poems per day (not an easy task) in order to fully digest the beauty of his thought-provoking visions. I loved this book, will pass it on to friends, and will read it again and again.

I read poetry only if I happen upon it. By some good fortune I happened upon this lovely book. I got all the poems, identified with many. hope for the rest, look forward to books to follow.

Mystery Schools delightfully accessible, poignant, brutally honest, and universal in its portrayal of the author's experience. Very enjoyable reading.

Published in September, Mystery Schools seems particularly suited to the fall of the year. There is an underlying poignancy to many of MacKinnon's poems. It's not that they are winter-cold or somber, but the loving moments from his life, so vividly portrayed, are often tinged with sadness. The portraits of his father and mother are especially moving - even heart-wrenching - especially "Stories," "A Different Law," and "A Cabin in the Woods."

I found myself thinking of Mystery Stories as I drove alone last week, on a crisp day when the sun illuminated stands of brilliant red and orange foliage, only to be covered the next instant by scudding dark clouds.

The initiation rituals of the mystery schools were often dark, weren't they? And some of the glimpses the author gives us of his coming-of-age years reveal the careless cruelties common to the young, seen now through the mature eyes of a thoughtful, loving man, whose journey is laid bare before us in a series of reflections and meditations. Here is a soul whom we find in several poems seeking his way as a young man in a holy order: "then I'm on my knees scrubbing cracks in tile/ with a toothbrush, not at all sure how I got here,/ knowing it has something to do with light."

Ultimately, however, it's the death of the father, not the Son, which casts a chiaroscuro image, like scattered sunlight on the shadowed forest of fallen and falling autumn leaves, on all the stories of this talented poet's life.

I look forward to his next collection.

i have not read any of these books but p dogg is my english teacher

I like potry. This book has great rime and meter. I remember when my Uncle Liam from Ireland came over, he brought me a huge bottle of wisky and a case of Mickeys Big Mouth, that Uncle Liam was always three sheets to the wind, I think it runs in the genes, after all, look at me, hck! Uncle Liam and me went to the woodshed with all that good stuff, we had a very pleasant time....

I was absolutely blown away by the caliber of this book. Brian Pinsker has a way with words that is truly brilliant. He can evoke many different portraits within the minds' eye with a simple twist of phrase. Jay Passer also is inspired, although his is a different, more harshly provocative style. I enjoyed this work thoroughly, and consider myself very fortunate to have been able to take a glimpse, through their written word, into both authors' thoughts.

The poetic pair of Pinsker and Passer pen yet another epic opus! Pinsker starts us out with some of the bizarrest metering I've ever read, expounding upon his adherence to the B'ahai Faith through his H. Rap Brown-inspired rhyme scheme. His Seattle street-style adaptation of the Cornish "Mmph -Kaph-Kaph-Hmm-Mmm" is one of the most sullenly beautiful pieces I've ever read. The second half consists of Passer's more conventional, yet equally beautiful Dickinsonian poetry. I hope that Passer brings back Jeremy Surbrook in the future -- he really lends a lot to Passer's poetry. All in all, a fine book.

Brian Pinsker's poetry dazzled and amazed and bemused me. This is a man who speaks and writes the language of the street. He blends and combines elements of H. Rap Brown, Public Enemy, Shakespeare, Rilke, Rumi, and the Pope. Totally cool!

This book of poems uses an extraordinary use of vocab that helps the writing pieces come to life...With stories full of heart warmth and stories full of tragedy, this book contains poems for any feelings one might have. A great book...not that expensive...i surely do not regret reading it.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It gives an insight to a time in our world that is usually surrounded in negativity. I found the heartfelt emotions of the author to be very refreshing and moving. I loved the poems about the waitresses as well, it's good to know what men really think as they sit alone in diners across the country. I recommend this collection to all who need new input into a world that has been closed to us.

Never before have I read a book that I can relate to more and keep coming back to on a daily basis that has made my life better! Thank You for helping me keep hope alive.

Thank you Joe Hertel.

I found this work by accident, lucky me. this book is insightful, showing those of us who have known no war what loss can feel like on many different levels. The narrative at the end of the poetry shows how things can change just that quickly. the ability to peer inside someone's mind doesn't come along to often; i am happy to have stumbled upon this work of poetry and prose. it has opened my eyes just that much wider to the world.
I CAN'T RECOMMEND IT MORE!

An emotional, moving siloque of love and war, its aftermath and innocence lost. Through his poems, Mr. Hertel has gotten to the core of why it is so important to look for peace, love and understanding in this world.

In the late 1970s, when the Mets really hit the skids and the Yankees got good again, it became necessary, if you were a kid in the Tri- State
area, to at least watch the Yankees, perhaps even to grudgingly root for them.  Forced into this spiritually untenable position, I chose to only
root for the scrubs, which made Cliff Johnson my favorite player.  I'll never forget the game where he tagged a pitch and Phil Rizzuto started
screaming that : "That one's outta here", bringing joy to the heart of every Heatchliff fan, only to have his towering popup caught by the
second baseman.  

"The Scooter" was easy to laugh at, with his myriad phobias, his propensity for saying unintentionally offensive things about minorities, his
tendency to leave the ballpark early when the Yankees were home, etc. But then there began appearing in The Village Voice a most
remarkable feature : verbatim text from Scooter's broadcasts rendered as poetry. We were suddenly confronted with the frightening prospect
that Scooter was not only making sense, but serving up literature, even profundity. Consider the wisdom, about baseball and about life [....]

As it turns out, this kind of exercise even has a name, it's called "found poetry." The Rizzuto poems are as good as any I've seen[...].

At any rate, this book is a hoot and once you read it you'll never again think of Rizzuto as just a good glove man, nor listen to a baseball
broadcast without noticing the frequently poetic nature of the announcer's line of patter.

GRADE : A

This literary gem is destined to be handed down from parent to child for generations to come.

Long before there was politics, or correctness, there was Phil Rizzuto. Rizzuto ably scoops up the essense of morality and ethics and fires to first with more deftness than Shakespeare, or that guy from Ireland (I can't remember his name--not Joyce, though; it was somebody else.) The poem we always relate and remember around the old campfire--when we go camping, and we have a fire, is the story Scooter tells in the honored oral tradition of Homer: of live-trapping squirrels in his attic and then letting them loose somewhere over by Yogi's house.

No doubt Rizzuto will forever be linked to the other great American Poets: Frost, Angelou, and Walden.

Some people are good at laying down sacrifice bunts, and some people are good at poetry. But nowadays so few people excel at both. Phil Rizzuto is that rare double-threat, and that's why this book is essential for anyone who likes bunts or poems.

My only complaint is that the editors have left out my all-time favorite Rizzuto moment, which was the time circa 1980 when Rizzuto and Frank Messer spent part of a day game discussing whether or not gorillas can swim. The answer proved elusive, but I have since learned that they can.

Even though it's a short book, a little bit goes a long way with this kind of thing. Use in moderation.

Plus, I miss Bill White's good-natured chuckling.

Still, these "poems" are pretty good at bringing back long-gone hot summer nights.

For me, nothing better epitomizes my age of baseball innocence than falling in love with the WPIX broadcasts of Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer and Bill White during the late 1970s. This offbeat collection of the Scooter's unintentional poetry in his broadcasts is a graphic illustration of why Rizzuto was a true joy in the broadcast booth even if he wasn't a professional in the Mel Allen-Red Barber mold. I loved the format so much that I've actually reviewed the hundreds of old Yankee radio and telecast tapes in my collection searching for supplements to the collected verse of the Scooter and have found enough that could fill a sequel volume. Thanks to Seely and Pyer for this wonderful collection that no Yankee fan should be without.

Here is Mevlana. In his words he lives with us, harmonizing our souls, hearts, and minds. Taking us beyond our ordinary lives into a world of transcendent knowledge filled with light and love. I have never found anyone else who comes close. Yeats, Hafiz, e.e., T.S., Kabir, Whitman, Ginsburg all wonderful but none have the level of transcendent awareness that pours through Mevlana. Thanks to Coleman's enlightened translations the words seize us with their power.

The open secret, available to all but few listen. That is the feeling you get when you let these wonderful writings flow over and through you.

Some short, some longer, each writing is a treasure. The more you read (or listen if you've been fortunate to get the audio condensed version from this work) the deeper each verse becomes. I've owned the printed copy for years and every read brings new wonders and old friends.

The cream of Rumi is brought to this work and Coleman Barks does wonderful interpretations. The work as a whole weaves a tapestry that, in the end, leaves you feeling part weaver and part thread. The possibility of the "Beloved" as "Lover" becomes manifest. The drunk, intoxicated by the bliss of the presence of God, overflows with sacred wine and wants to dance. The sharing of a deep spiritual presence at dawn with those nearest you becomes a yearning that you want each and every day.

This book is a cornerstone in the rediscovery of Rumi and Islam for that matter. It provides a glimpse, from the lovers' point of view, into a world traditionally dominated by the warrior spirit.

After reading you yearn for the association of others who have similar thoughts. You realize that "the pot drips what's in it" and you yearn to associate with gentle people who enjoy this book as much as you.

Certainly "Open Secret" is a must read and a must own. It is every bit worth the price and a classic in the genre.

This text with versions of Rumi is wonderful for its contemporary language and revelation of Rumi's insights which read as if they came out of a psychologically astute book of modern poetry. My partner and I used Quatrains # 388 and #158 in our wedding ceremony. In this thirteenth century visionary writing I once again am reminded of the ageless quality of human insight and wisdom with its imperative that we remain alert to revelation about to burst upon us. The introduction Moyne and Bark have written for it is a sweet gift as well.
"Open Secret" is a keeper!

This is an amazing book of poetry, the words just dance off the page. this is a good place to start if you're interested in the poetry of Rumi.
The translations are well done and don't sacrifice the emotional content of the poetry to fit the words. Give yourself or someone else a wonderful experience and read this book. You'll be very happy that you did.

A lovely collection of versions of Rumi translated by the great linguistic scholar John Moyne and Coleman Barks. They are quatrains and odes and they attest to the divine. My absolute favourite has to be Ode 388:

I would love to kiss you.
The price of kissing is your life.

Now my love is running toward my life shouting,
What a bargain, let's buy it.

but for poets, Ode 1315 has to run a close second:

We've given up making a living.
It's all this crazy love poetry now.

It's everywhere. Our eyes and our feelings
focus together, with our words.


Don't pass this one by!