Category: Poetry

Words at Play edited by Edward Ahern

1/31/2026

I was happy to get a sneak peak at the forthcoming poetry collection Words at Play, an anthology put together by editor and author Edward Ahern. The collection is filled with Connecticut poets from all walks of life, and the poems reflect the diversity of its authors with its diversity of styles, tones, and voices.

For a full review of the book, check it out here at ScribesMICRO. I highly recommend this anthology to lovers of verse; in its pages, there's a poem to please every discerning reader. highly recommend this anthology to lovers of verse; in its pages, there's a poem to please every discerning reader.

Woman Life Freedom edited by Bänoo Zan & Cy Strom

9/30/2025

A few months ago, I attended the book release of a new anthology of poetry called Woman Life Freedom: Poems for the Iranian Revolution, edited by Bänoo Zan and Cy Strom. This is a collection that exposes the darkest side of the lives of women worldwide, who are often regarded as second-class citizens with few rights and fewer options for escape or freedom.

For a full review of the book, check it out here at ScribesMICRO. This is a powerful anthology, emotional and heartbreaking to read. I highly recommend it.

The Twenty: A Youth Poetry Collection edited by Maigan van der Giessen

8/31/2025

While attending the Edmonton Poetry Festival in the spring of 2025, I was lucky enough to snag a copy of the collection The Twenty: A Youth Poetry Collection. It’s a poetry anthology that encompasses universal themes, while at the same time embracing the diversity and uniqueness of world cultures and experiences.

For a full review of the book and listing of the poets included, check it out here at ScribesMICRO. This is a collection penned by the next generation of great writers, and it’s one that would be appreciated by poetry lovers everywhere. Highly recommended.

Recalibrating Gravity by Mary Keating

7/29/2024

There are three words that define Mary Keating’s debut memoir in verse, Recalibrating Gravity: funny, heartfelt, and clever. It’s a collection of poems that tell Keating’s life story in a way that’s both accessible and poignant, and I enjoyed reading it from the first page to the last.

For a full review of the book, check it out here at ScribesMICRO. I’d recommend this book to readers who enjoy memoir, as well as lovers of poetry—there’s something in its pages for everyone.

Turn Your Back on the Shore by Scott Rosin

7/5/2024

For those who know a bit about me, I grew up near the beach town of Santa Cruz in California. So, I was pleased to dive into Scott Rosin's poetry collection Turn Your Back on the Shore, an eclectic and captivating look of where the ocean meets the shore and how surfers experience this breathtaking space.

For a full review of the book, check it out here at Medium. This is a collection that I’d highly recommend to readers who enjoy poetry, nature, and the beauty of man’s relationship with the ocean. It’s a wonderful journey out into the waves with the author, and I hope to visit there again soon.

Forsaken by Ruth Boukhari

6/28/2024

Ruth Boukhari's Forsaken is a beautiful collection of poetry that explores both the highs and lows of love. The words sing off the page, taking the reader on a journey from the start of a love affair all the way through the end and out the other side to the healing of one's heart. It's a wonderful and painful journey that many of us have experienced in our lives, and it illuminates a true gift on the writer's part to take the reader on that journey with her.

For a full review of the book, check it out here at Medium. I’d highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy poetry — it’s simply an amazing read.

Perturbations by Gary Beck

1/22/2018

I’m always excited to pick up a new collection of poetry by Gary Beck, because his work challenges the status quo and our preconceptions, examining issues both universal and personal. His new work, Perturbations, is no exception.

Sometimes morose, sometimes with brief glimmerings of hope, it explores a variety of themes, some new to Mr. Beck’s repertoire and some revisted. For my full review of the book, you can find it here on Bewildering Stories.

If you'd like to learn more about Gary, I also had a great chat with him about his writing, which you can find on my blog here.

I really enjoyed reading Perturbations, and I hope you will, also.

Free Ferry by Ann Cefola

11/13/2017

Free Ferry by Ann Cefola is a work of poetry that recalls post-war prosperity with an air of wistfulness. It contrasts the innocence of childhood and family with the harsh realities of world politics but still retains the double-edged sword of science versus emotion, knowledge versus love.

I thought this was a very wonderful work that combines a sense of world history with personal history. You can read a full review of the book at Bewildering Stories by clicking here. If you'd like to learn more about Ann, I also had a lovely chat with her about her book and writing in general, which you can find on my blog here.

I really enjoyed reading Free Ferry, and I hope you will, also.

Virtual Living by Gary Beck

10/23/2017

For those of you who've been reading my book reviews over the years, you might notice that I'm a fan of Gary Beck's poetry. He's a prolific writer and he tackles the most relevant social and political issues facing us today. His new collection of poems, Virtual Living, is no exception, although it does take a new slant for its overarching theme: it explores technology and how it impacts society and the natural world. That's not to say the collection shies away from Mr. Beck's usual themes tackling politics and the modern world, but it does so through the lens of technology and how it impacts people. It was interesting to see Mr. Beck's take on tech as a force for change in all walks of life, big and small.

If you'd like to know more, you can read a full review of Mr. Beck's collection here at Bewildering Stories. I hope you enjoy reading Mr. Beck's collection as much as I did.

broken bottle of time by John Reinhart

10/9/2017

One of my greatest joys about being a book reviewer is finding writers who are new to me. John Reinhart is a poet whose work is fun and funny, in addition to being serious and thoughtful. His writing mixes the speculative genre with literary, humor with pathos.

I read Mr. Reinhart's latest collection of poetry, broken bottle of time, and enjoyed it immensely. The full review of it was published today at Bewildering Stories, and you can read it here, along with some excerpts from Mr. Reinhart's work..

I hope you enjoy reading broken bottle of time as much as I did!

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