Superb Women's Poetry
586561
Not more effete academic crap but poetry from women who have suffered and have the words to express their suffering.
1109887
The God of Material Things is a fantastic book of poetry.  I loved it.  These poems speak beautifully to the presence of God in the worldin the magnificent and the mundane, the big and the small.  These are rewarding and deeply meaningful poems, full of a recognition of grace and beauty, history, providence.  The author knows a good metaphor when he sees one, and many of the Poems I Found On My Way to Work are exactly thatwonderful, surprising, perfect metaphors that will make you smile.  Modern poetry too often seems intentionally obscure, but this is a poet who does the hard work of actually saying something.  The poems in this volume speak volumes; they really pack a punch.  They will stick with you.

Some of my favorites include: Because the Unseen May Vanish, Toward Home, January 31, Sky Dance, Watermelon Hands, Two Stories from the Old Retired Farmers, Her Grip, Mothers Songs and Quincy.  Highly recommended.
4413479
The reason I was drawn to this book was because when people are feeling distant from God, often sermons and theology don't help as much as story or poetry, genres which tell the truth sideways, in a gentle way. In this collection of poems, Beth Morey perfectly and beautifully articulates the emotions that accompany a dark night of the soul. Beth Morey is a talented poet, and for me the greatest ones were poems such as You say and The Beetle which combine vivid storytelling with poignant emotion, reminiscent of the late and very great Seamus Heaney. Some of the poems took my breath away, and made me want to read them aloud to a friend. The poems are structured around Descent, The Dark, Ascent, The Light (or something like it), so you are taken from a journey from . As well as exploring the questioning of faith, on the way through she also covers themes such as marriage, motherhood and loss, humanitys relationship with the natural world, and a celebration of femininity. One of the things I love about Beths work is her ability to make the physical world large and colourful even while she is describing abstract concepts like doubt, joining emotion and body together in her words. Raw, evocative, powerful, and (what I most appreciate in a poetry collection) intelligible rather than obscure  I thoroughly recommend this book of beautiful words.
4653026
I first met this author, Susan Joyner-Stumpf, about three years ago when I joined [...].  I soon became one of her biggest fans.  I agonized with her over her many years of abuse, became a better poet with her advice and became aware that I was a better person just from knowing her.

The abuse she suffered for so many years, is intricately intertwined in much of her poetry.  Other poems like, "Youth Stained", makes her suffering quite clear.

Yet, no matter what Susan writes, in the end, there is always beauty.  She makes you feel the deep, deep pain of her past existence but when the poem is read to its end, you also feel the strength of her will and the beauty of her words.

If you are looking for a book of poetry to place by your bedside or on the coffee table, always within easy reach.  If you wish to have a book which you eagerly pick up when you have a day or just a few minutes to immerce yourself, I highly recommend that you collect a copy of "Crimson Whispers".

Linda Langan Powell, author "The Old Cypress Tree"
454326
Each page was beautiful, with poetry that is relatable for women of color and/or immigrants. I was inspired and full.
4405817
Having known the author and her family for more than three decades, I recognize many of the personal moments/connections in these powerful poems. Living in the middle of the Middle East for about the same amount of time, I understand and emphathize with her experience of the big world events that shaped and sometimes limited her choices but never trapped her restless poet's soul. These are very personal and Palestinian-Arab pieces but they are also universal, womanly, humane, full of strong images, passion and beautiful words. That's poetry!
1076504
This is a beautifully written and illustrated book of meaningful poetry by a gifted woman who writes and draws from her heart.  It is well worth owning and reading.
970941
Sierra Demulder's collection of poems is an essential read for anyone who has interest in contemporary poetry. Demulder writes with a precision and authority that makes the poems easy to sink into and impossible to forget. While much of contemporary poetry seems to be written from an observational distance, Demulder's approach is deeply personal, vivid and in-the-moment. Reminiscent of Frances Mayes in the way she targets small details and exposes their significance to expansive ideas of identity, loneliness, and passion. Read it. It will matter to you.
4864958
I picked up a copy of this book from a used book store at a very low price simply because I was struck by its simple cover.  It was even autographed.  Also I like discovering new poets.  That is how I found Mary Oliver.  I could hardly put the book down once I started to read it.  I immediately ordered a copy for a friend of mine so she could share in the experience of reading this gifted poet.

I have never read any poet whose poetry is so compelling.  There is an urgency to her writing as she strives to communicate her inmost experiences to the reader.  I have subsequently found that she is honored as among Canada's top poets.  You can listen to her on YouTube.

I don't really know why this particular volume of her poetry is so reasonably priced.  If you check the price of some of her other books, you will find them to be much, much higher.  But buy them while you can.  This poet is a real comer.
1493751
Laura Yes Yes is an inspiration and one of the premier poets of our generation.  A prolific voice for women's rights and a magnificent stage artist, her energy translates effortlessly to the page.  This book is a must-have for the sincere poet enthusiast and will both entertain and enlighten.  Though often funny, her poetry is not to be taken lightly as most poems require a second and even third reading as new insights and subtle wordplay can shift meanings.  One is likely to learn more about oneself than about this enigmatic artist from her work but, then again, that's the power of a master wordsmith.  She will make you say "Yes," over and over throughout.  Enjoy.
2503473
Nan Socolow is a woman you would love to know...and, if you read this astonishing poetry, you will know her.  Her language is potent, and in reading it, you will be swept into emotion...chills, grins, the feeling that you should applaud. It's real, sophisticated, brainy and rich with metaphor. So much life experience went into the formation of these poems!

If you want a book that will not gather dust on your nightstand, but rather keep you reading long after your lights should be out...if you love to linger over words worth remembering, read it.
1598216
One of the best first books of poems I've read in a long time. Echoes of Dickinson, Jane Kenyon, Louise Gluck, all reside wonderfully in this book. I also feel a whisper of Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping, though that's fiction. The kind of poetry book you read once, and then immediately, again.
693092
This is an amazing collection of poetry from a talented author.  Her ability to draw the reader into the scenes and emotions presented is astounding and inspiring. She expresses what so many feel, yet cannot put into words with eloquence. I have read this book three times, and no amount of rereading it lessens the wonder it stirs.  I would recommend this piece of literary art to any with a desire to read fine poetry.
1446015
Yrsa Daley Ward's writing is raw, powerful and provocative. The poems in this collection address gender and gender identity, sexuality, misogyny, sexual assault, depression, suicide, family, sex work and so much more. There are not poems that will soothe your soul or ease your mind. The words are sharp, and more often than not, the endings are bittersweet. But these poems are ever so vital and necessary. An amazing collection.
4085462
"Places and Times, Reflected" is a must have book for anyone who enjoys poetry. In this collection the author approaches intelligent reflections of himself on his surroundings, past and present and approaches everyday topics pushing them past the ordinary. The places he has visited, people he has known, the countryside, clouds, mountains, rivers, the sea, come alive in his easy, lucid verses, easy to connect with and explore.
Whether in the charming lines of "Old Main Lawn"  "In the swing of the sea" or in the moving "Franconia: In Memory of David Shogren" or in the thought-provoking "Mundane Splendors" and "The Nittany Sonnets", imagery flows with visual and verbal beauty.
The poet's words illustrate thoughts like no other. These lines from "The Nittany Sonets" are a fine example:
Why expend the effort
to accomplish anything when one is
already complete? The mundane splendors
feel just fine, or so everyone tells them"

Turfa is a great nature poet who is delighted in the macrocosmic ("Savoring the stillness of hallowed space....Few places calm me as the woods")

The poet's insights run thought sensitive and beautifully fluent, quiet and reflective verses, delightful to the mind and the ear.

I will finish -just because I love it - pointing the first stanza of At times I want to ride". This poem is twenty brilliant lines that, in its imagery and scenic luminosity, blends a celebration of life and language.

At times I want to ride a chestnut horse
over wide, undulating, endless steppes,
with hooves pounding out a staccato beat,
our heads lowered to enhance speed,
pointing toward the elusive white stag
ever within our sight, ever out of reach,
leading to verdant valley far away."

~Alicia Salabert (Alice Sea)
4602547
I read this entire collection of poetry in one sitting. Every single poem was fantastic, but my two favorites were The Era of Women and Reflections of Celeste. The former was about the history of women, and how fashions have changed over time, but that there have always been exceptional women throughout history. The latter was about a woman aging, and not being able to really see herself. Both were beautifully written and heartwarming.

There were also several darker poems like A Prayer for Briar's Lot (chilling!) and Marko the Clown (extra creepy). What impressed me most about these poems were the unique rhymes. Inion Mathair's poems are unlike any others I've read. I adore their novels, and No Rhyme or Reason is up there with the rest of their work. Five stars all the way!
655216
I read this poetry collection and will reread it. There is a lot of meat on the bones of Eleanor's poems. I intend to buy her newer collection because these are top quality poems. Some are written about seemingly simple themes, her growth as a woman, her world. But they are worthy of looking into deeply. They are complex. I highly recommend this collection.