July brings the latest review for Solace in So Many Words -- this one is from the Midwest Book Review: California Bookwatch in which we appear in the front page list of "reviewer's choices" with a dozen or so other books, including ones by Bill Moyers and Sloane Crosley. Here is the link. Here's the review: Solace in So Many Words offers an anthology seeking to define the nature of solace, and offering a collection of literary reflections on what solace means and how … [Read more...]
Everyday is a gift
Everyday is a gift so says the plaque on the powder room wall. Of course, there should be a space between every and day. It is each and every day that is the present. But the everyday is a gift too, wrapped in plain paper addressed in Papermate blue, bound in time and string, left on the doorstep near the mat, common as dirt and dust, ordinary as tap water, easy to miss. When you return to the table at the … [Read more...]
In case you missed it–a great new review!
Solace in So Many Words got a terrific write-up in ForeWord Reviews. Reviewer Chris Fisher called the book ”a beautiful quilt of essays, stories, and poems.” As always, my thanks goes to the contributors for letting me use their material. Here's a highlight: "There are two common threads that tie together the book's contributed pieces. First, each writer dares to bear his or her soul in an honest, sometimes brutally revealing manner. Second, the quality or artfulness of … [Read more...]
Publication date reading at Barbara’s and our latest review — reasons to celebrate
May 12 was the official publication date of Solace in So Many Words and also the date for our second reading. This was one was at Barbara's Bookstore (UIC), which has a separate performance space with great acoustics. The event, which was well-attended, started off with my short explanation of the book and how it came to be, followed by outstanding readings by: Carol Kanter who read her three poems, "Her Best Medicine," "Alternative Eulogy," and "The Advanced Course," Pat … [Read more...]
The launch was a blast!
The May 6 launch of Solace in So Many Words was great---a packed bookstore (SRO), an intent audience, and wonderful readings by nine contributors. Susan Spaeth Cherry read "Predictabilities," Barry Silesky read "Music Lesson," Kathleen Kirk read the prose poem in "Postponing a Response to the Fact of Mortality," and "Heartbreak House," D. J. Lachance read "Nagasaki Shadows," Lisa Liken read "Winter in Bosnia," Aloka Kamicheril read her father Jayant … [Read more...]