poetry

Audiobook Review: Person Suit edited by Kristi King-Morgan

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This collection of poetry, memoirs, and stories of short fiction presents to the listener such themes as depression, suicide, hopelessness, grief, loss, love, mental illness, and abuse both emotional and physical experienced by the writers or someone close to them. This collection serves to demonstrate that hiding behind shame or fear rather than sharing emotional pain as the authors in these works do is tantamount to putting on a mask; wearing a person suit. It is pretending. It is a state of existing but not truly living life to the fullest. The 11 authors featured in this collection have taken off their person suit, exposed their true selves to the world so that others may find their own voice and the courage to speak about mental illness and abuse of any kind.

My Review

I chose to listen to this book after receiving a free audio copy from Dreaming Big Publications. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

This collection of poetry and prose is an interesting mix on the issues of abuse, mental illness, and even some science fiction. I enjoyed the poetry, but I especially enjoyed a couple of the stories. ‘ER’ was confusing at first, but eventually all is made clear. It’s a good futuristic story! My favorite story was ‘Dave’s Aliens.’ It was funny and creepy.

The narrator did a good job with pace and timing. If you like something that delves into emotional and physical experiences that are not joyful in any way, this is a quick read worth listening to.

Book Review: Life, A Bit More? by Andrew Tomas Elder

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Andrew is a guy who had to relearn life as a double amputee at nineteen years of age. He hopes to inspire the reader with topics he has written, topics that we have all experienced and can gratefully relate to.
Every one of us is handicapped in one way or another. The topics Andrew writes about are through his handicapable point of view. This really is good food for thought, and we could all use some good news today!
Besides good news, our faith, intestinal fortitude, and elbow grease are examined. We’re all in this boat together, and hopefully we work together in meeting our common goals. Helping ourselves first, then our brothers, and by doing this, we help HIM!
Knowing we were able to help anyone makes us feel good for a good deed done. And that much more on a spiritual realm, yet humble realm. He helps us with our needs and more, and we can feel that growth within us!

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My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

This collection is not your traditional poetry but it’s more like bits of a memoir with philosophical thoughts and full of inspiration.

Andrew was pedestrian who was hit by a drunk driver 35 years ago and is now a double amputee. He has had a hard road as you can imagine, but he hasn’t let it stop him. It is apparent through his poetry that he is grateful to be able to write and play the piano. He has learned how to play the piano with one hand and it sounds like he’s playing with two!

I like that there is a page between each poem for the reader to write notes. How many times have you read an inspirational book and wanted to make a note? There’s the margin to write in if it’s a paperback to which many of us have an aversion, or you have to stop to find pen and paper before you lose the thought.

Of course, I liked some of the poems more than others. One that I liked:

Death and Time
How much time do I have before the ultimate reality?
Only His divine plan will tell.
Am I ready?
I like to think so, but there is so much more to be done.
Will I leave some kind of good contribution for others to ponder?
I hope so, and think I have a fair start as I learn.
Will you be ready?
I pray so

If you’re looking for some inspiration that’s a little different with an interesting author, you can’t go wrong with Life, A Bit More?

About the Author

Andrew is a regular guy who had to relearn life as a double amputee at
nineteen years of age! He hopes to inspire you with topics that he has, and
he is learning about life and a bit more.

Book Review & Guest Post: Silence of Islands by W.M. Raebeck

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Book Title:  Silence of Islands — Poems by W.M. Raebeck
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction (18 +),  170 pages
Genre:  Poetry
Publisher:  Hula Cat Press
Release date:   July 2020

Content Rating:  G. this book of poems is ‘grown-up’ but nothing violent, explicit, illegal, profane or hardcore.

Poetry for the summer day, poetry for the dark night. Poems that cut a walkable trail through the forest of life. Always with a nudge and a wink, “It’ll be okay.” This collection reflects a lifetime of nature, love, travel, death, joy, art, family, and the eternal questions. A potion of emotion to soothe and move you.

Buy the Book:
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My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Silence of Islands is a book full of poetry that I enjoyed. The poems are all so different. They are about art, nature, travel, relationships, family, loss of loved ones, and more. You can feel her emotions throughout the years. These personal reflections of the author have the power to move the reader in one way or another.

Here’s a short, cute poem from May 22, 1989, when she was in Venice:

Trouble

Oooh we got trouble
size thirty Jeans
trouble at five foot eleven
trouble on that motorcycle
trouble in that kiss

Here comes trouble
with a capital T
Trouble
you’re trouble
total trouble

I love trouble

I think my favorite poem out of all of these is “Close Friends.” It’s a funny poem about friends and their interconnecting relationships.

I read Silence of Islands in one sitting, but I will keep it on hand to pick up occasionally to read a poem or two once in a while. I’m glad that the author decided to publish her poetry. It’s definitely worth a read.

Guest Post by W. M. Raebeck

“Always Wanted to do Yoga?”

      Way before my first yoga lesson in 1972, yoga always seemed ‘right’ to me. And after learning and practicing it a few decades, I wanted to go deeper. But the only avenue for more in-depth yoga—from asana variations, anatomy, and chakras to pranayama (breathing), meditation, gurus, Sanskrit, mudras (hand positions), and yogic philosophy and history—is teacher training. So, in 1997, I mustered the guts for that and never looked back.

      Later on, becoming a massage therapist, also, I always offered private yoga sessions on my business card. This led to discussions with people long interested but who’d never tried yoga. Hearing their complaints of stiffness, decreasing range of joint motion, or apprehensions about age, extra weight, and other limitations, I eventually came up with 4 key suggestions for how to start a yoga practice:

      1.  Start at the beginning.

      Bopping into a crowded 6 p.m. class at a trendy Main Street studio, you’re risking a) getting hurt, because the teacher doesn’t cater to beginners, b) being intimidated by buff 20-somethings in scant Lycra, and c) never going to another yoga class because “it’s just not for me” or “it was too hard” or “I got hurt.” Indeed, that class is NOT for you. You need either a true beginner class where you can learn the basics in a safe environment, and/or a warm, caring, old-school teacher who isn’t showing off his/her contours or sizing up potential soul-mates, but loves yoga, loves teaching it, and understands newbies. Not so complicated, but sometimes hard to find. This teacher will probably be female and over 45, but truly could be anybody.

      Seek out said instructor. Ask around for the right class. And check if a local college might offer a yoga course—schools are about education, and more likely to start from the beginning, plus might even have additional info about yoga as well as teaching the poses. If you’re over 50, a Senior Center can be a resource. I know…sounds frumpy, but they often offer ‘Senior Yoga,’ someplace you won’t get hurt, won’t get intimidated, and won’t be the only one in baggy pants. And whoever teaches Senior Yoga almost certainly teaches elsewhere, too, and will invite you to their ‘regular’ class nearby. Then you can be a normal yoga student who already knows the teacher.

      2.  Find a class near your home or workplace.

      Once you’ve broken the ice by attending a few classes—Senior Center, college, or wherever you find that safe, intro-type class—your next challenge is to continue going on a regular basis. Make that easy by finding a class nearby. If you have to drive 30 minutes to and fro, do you think you’ll always have time, always feel like it after a long day, and always be up for squeezing it in when there’s a dinner party that same night?

      3.  Start with once a week.

      Many think of ‘real’ yogis as boney, sarong-clad, deep-breathers in Himalayan caves. For weeks, without food, in full lotus. If this is your vision or your goal, you’re in the wrong hemisphere and the wrong century. Los Angeles, not India, is today’s world center for yoga. Think urban yogi, health food eater on a bike, yoga mat under arm. Forget the cave, denunciation, and turn-blue inhales. We’re not aiming for transcendence anymore (though it can be a pleasant side effect), just increased mobility, stress relief, and more peace. Practicing yoga isn’t extreme, it’s a cool 90 minutes you work into your week (once you find your sympatico teacher). The stakes aren’t that high, but the rewards can be.

      Commit to once a week. Buy the 10-class pass to save money, and Tuesday night becomes yoga night or Saturday morning is yoga morning. That’s how you develop a practice. You don’t move to Tibet or fast until your third eye is searing passers-by. A year or two from now, you may decide to go twice a week, but once a week is a legitimate, beneficial, affordable yoga practice.

      4.  You should love your yoga class.

      You should exit your class wearing a smile. Yoga is a great thing and doing it should make you feel good. If you feel grumpy, anxious, sad, hurt, or embarrassed during or after the class, find a better one. (There are a plenty of inadequate or ego-driven instructors to be avoided.) I’ve attended classes of over 100 different yoga teachers on my journey, most not wildly memorable, but some magnificent, and even magical. The best ones had plenty to offer.

      Take these tips and you’ll do FINE!

      Namaste.

. . . . . . . . .

Continue reading →

Book Review: Soul Alchemy by Elizabeth Foley

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Soul Alchemy ~ A Vision Quest

By Elizabeth Foley

Genre: Art & Poetry

Purchase Soul Alchemy: https://radiantearthstudios.com/soul-alchemy-art-and-poetry

Artist’s Statement about Soul Alchemy 

For me making art is a spiritual practice.  It makes me feel alive, centered, and connected to something greater than myself.

Much of my work explores feminine archetypes from warrior and muse to medicine woman and inner child.  Each painting is an expression of my own journey to reconnect with these parts of myself.

At the core of each painting is something I seek to discover, an intention I am exploring.  What does my inner artist need in order to feel free to express my unique voice?  What does the idea of the Muse mean to me. How do I access her inspiration?  What would my life look like if I thought of myself as legendary?

As I progress through a painting I enter a dialogue with the emerging image.  What message does it have for me each step along the way?  What does the way that this layer or that drip of paint interacts with each other have to tell me about my inquiry? 

Each brush stroke is made with intention.  Dots become prayers. A line reflects a trauma or long held desire.  Deeply personal symbols are created that reflect a broader universal language.

I believe that at the core of the problems that plague today’s world – human suffering and environmental degradation – is greed, apathy, and a lack of compassion.  To solve these problems what we need isn’t just a legislative or a scientific response but a spiritual and cultural transformation. 

We need to wake up to our interconnectedness with each other and with nature.  To create real change we must awaken compassion, empathy, and understanding.  I envision my art as one voice in a chorus of voices that will catalyze this shift in the consciousness in humankind.

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

The paintings in this book are alive with vibrant colors. In one of them, She Who Calls Circles, I felt like she could actually see into my soul. There are so many details in each painting that you can spend a long time on each one trying to get everything out of it that the artist is trying to say.

The poetry that goes along with the paintings is also well done. It’s obvious that Elizabeth Foley is passionate about the strength of women and empowering ourselves to become the best that we can be. The poem below was my favorite because I found it inspirational. It accompanies the painting from the cover of the book.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for some inspiration through art. It will touch you.

This poem accompanies the piece titled Elishaba ~ Visionary Warrior


You Are Legendary.
 
Dive deeper within yourself.
There are gifts awaiting you there.
Dive Deeper.
 
Inside you lives one who is patient and powerful.
One who is focused, fearless and fierce.
 
Dive Deeper.
 
Inside you lives one who owns her truth.
One who is boldly authentic.
 
Dive Deeper.
There are powers untapped within you.
 
Inside you lives a cosmic warrior
a visionary queen,
a healer,
a sage.
 
Dive Deeper.
 
Inside you lives one who is consecrated to the divine.
One who embraces determination.
 
Trust.
Trust a little more.
Trust even more still.

Trust your intuition.
Trust that you are on the right path.
Trust in your vision.
Trust that if you take the leap
You will come floating gently down into the valley of your dreams.
 
You are meant to show others the way.
You are meant to lead others to greatness.
You are meant to shine light in the darkness.
 
You are one with the universe.
You are a supreme being of infinite wisdom.

Facebook Group – Radiant You – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1506259369529561/

About the Author

Artist, Elizabeth Foley helps women feel more joy and fulfillment by experiencing creative expression.  She offers online and in person workshops, retreats and one on one coaching.  Elizabeth has been passionate about creativity since childhood and believes that we are all creative beings whether we claim the identity of artist or not.

Elizabeth is a painter, potter, poet and creativity coach.  Currently her medium of choice is acrylic paints.  Elizabeth studied fine art and ceramics at The University of Oregon and apprenticed to accomplished Oregon potter Gil Harrison. She has studied with award winning artists Shiloh Sophia McCloud and Amber Kuileimailani Bonnici.  Elizabeth is a certified Intentional Creativity Instructor and a Cosmic Smash Book Teacher in training.

Elizabeth loves getting her hands dirty with paint, clay and in the garden.  When she isn’t busy in her studio you’ll find her climbing a mountain or relaxing by a waterfall in her hammock.  Elizabeth is grateful to make her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC.

Book Review & Giveaway: A Journey to Yonder by Nidhi Kaur

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Book Title: A Journey to Yonder by Nidhi Kaur
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 130 pages
Genre: Memoir / Poetry
Publisher: Independent (Createspace)
Release date: September 2017
Tour dates: Jan 3 to 19, 2017
Content Rating: R (for explicit sex scenes written poetically and in good taste)

 

Book Description

A Journey to Yonder is the tale of one woman’s refusal to allow the challenges of her past to define her present. She grows up with a special needs sibling and loses her childhood home, and we then follow her through an abusive relationship and into the most unforgiving of human trials.

With experiences that leave you feeling so alone, how do you hold on to hope? How do you go on?

Nidhi Kaur’s compelling use of both poetry and prose intimately welcomes readers into this moving story of spiritual rediscovery. Poems are sprinkled throughout the story, guiding readers through intimate and stunning moments of truth. Kaur reminds us that if we offer our trust completely to God, we are never alone.

The author of the spiritual collection of poetry My Wedding with Truth, Nidhi Kaur once again delivers an emotionally enlightened journey through the human heart. Miracles can be seen everywhere in this world, and Kaur helps us remember to keep our eyes open in this riveting story of redemption.

To read more reviews, please visit Nidhi Kaur’s page on iRead Book Tours.

 

Buy the Book:
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My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I don’t remember reading a book like A Journey to Yonder before. It is a mixture of fact, fiction, and poetry. I like the author’s writing style and how she blends prose and poetry to weave a spiritual tale.

The first part of A Journey to Yonder takes place in India and is about a girl’s life of loves and trials, as well as some of the customs of India. When her brother is born deaf, he has to go to another town to go to a good school for the hearing impaired. Her father’s goal is to save enough money to move the family to the U.S. where her brother would get an even better education and the family would be together. That doesn’t work out and she ends up in an abusive marriage with nowhere to turn. It’s a heart-wrenching tale and I had to read the end of that section twice because I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

The second part of the book tells of some of the horrors women in India can endure. I knew some things about India’s culture, such as arranged marriages but I had no idea how women are treated.

The last part of the book is inspirational and is about faith and hope. Despite all she faced in the past, she knows that putting faith in God can heal us and that we’ll never be alone.

Although this isn’t the type of book I usually read, I’m glad I chose to read A Journey to Yonder. It is inspiring and full of beautiful poetry and I always enjoy learning about other cultures.

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About the Author

 

Nidhi Kaur is the author of My Wedding with Truth, a collection of inspirational poetry. After discovering the healing power of the written word, Kaur began exploring the power of the divine through her poems.

A Journey to Yonder combines prose and poetry to explore Kaur’s challenging trails of life and her search for miracles in every moment of time.

Kaur lives in Fremont, California, where she works as a software engineer.

Connect with Nidhi: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

 

 

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends Jan 27, 2018
 
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Audiobook Review: Rock, Scissors, Paper: The Clifford Olson Murders by Richard Stevenson

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Title: Rock, Scissors, Paper: The Clifford Olson Murders
Author: Richard Stevenson
Narrated By: B. Jaymes Condon
Publisher: Dreaming Big Publications, dreamingbigpublications.com
Amazon

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the early 1980s, serial killer Clifford Olson rampaged through the lower mainland of British Columbia, raping and murdering 11 victims. His heinous cash-for-bodies deal foreshortened his trial and resulted in the law currently on Canadian books that forbids criminals from benefiting financially from their crimes.

Olson was just the pimple on the hide of a misogynist culture, as this long poem sequence attests.

Sometimes a book project chooses its author, as this one did when the author recognized one of the victims from her photograph.

Rock, Scissors, Paper is written in long poem sequence, first person, as if the words are from Olsen himself.

 

MY REVIEW

I chose to listen to this book after receiving a free audio copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I didn’t quite know what to expect with this book. It’s an odd mixture of poetry and nonfiction written about an actual serial killer in Canada. It’s from the view of the killer and the language and disrespect were just too much for me. Even though I didn’t care for this book at all, it’s creative and different and I’m sure the author put a lot of work into it. I also think I might like other works by him if they weren’t dealing with such a disgusting man.

I felt the same way about the narrator. He had a loud voice and I felt like he was almost yelling, but it went well with the book. I think he did a good job of portraying the killer.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Richard Stevenson was born in Victoria, B.C., in 1952 and has lived in western Canada and Nigeria. A college English teacher by profession, he taught English, Canadian and African literature, Business Communication, Creative and Technical Writing, E.S.L., and humanities courses in high schools and colleges. A former Editor-in-Chief of Prism international, he served in various editorial, jury, and writing/arts group executive capacities. His own reviews and poems have appeared in hundreds of magazines, anthologies, e-zines, and journals published in Canada, the United States, and overseas. He performed with the jazz/ poetry group Naked Ear and rock music/YA verse troupe Sasquatch and occasionally puts other ensembles together for book launches and performances and reviews books.

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A note from the Editor-in-Chief
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When Richard first approached me with this manuscript, I was intrigued. I’ve always liked True Crime books but had never read anything written in long poem sequence before. On the home page of our website, it says “…we are not afraid to push boundaries. We love books that shine a light on the good, bad, and the ugly of human nature.” We definitely pushed some boundaries with this book. This is a book for True Crime fans, and we definitely shined a light on the bad and ugly of human nature with this book. The subject matter and language may be difficult for many readers, so I understand if this is not your thing. For 

 

 

The Amazon purchase link in this post is an affiliate link. Purchasing through it helps sustain Bound 4 Escape.

Book Review: Ghosts of Old Virginny by Milla Van Der Have

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Title: GHOSTS OF OLD VIRGINNY
Author: Milla van der Have
Publisher: Aldrich Press (imprint of Kelsay Books)
Pages: 42
Genre: Poetry

 

BOOK BLURB

Virginia City, Nevada has been drawing the adventurous for over 100 years. It has been the home of gold-miners, businessmen and writers. After the bonanza, Virginia City reinvented herself and became a ghost town that draws travelers and artists. And, as it happened, a Dutch poet.

Milla van der Have visited Virginia City in 2014, on a writer’s residency to finish her novel. But once there, something happened: the Comstock got to her. In Ghosts of Old Virginny, Van der Have explores the legends and history of the Comstock by reimagining them. These poems deal with being uprooted and leaving the known behind. They speak of miners, ghosts and horses and throughout of the comfortable tension of love, that greatest journey of all.

You can purchase your copy of Ghosts of Old Virginny at Amazon.

 

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Ghosts of Old Virginny is a book of poems about the old Virginia City. They’re about miners and mining, the Gold Rush, legends, history of pioneers, and love. They’re full of beautiful descriptions and history.

Any lover of poetry and history will enjoy these poems. One of my favorites:

 

A Boomtown Love

They’ll settle in on anything, old legends.
Like mountain ghosts. They’ll take
hold of you. Say that night we broke

our bottles like vows upon the path.
All was silent except for your silver
laughter and that sudden rain of glass.

We sat down amidst the shards, counted
their sparks as blessings and the way
the moon swindled off their light edges.

And I remember thinking, this is it,
this is all that will come to mean
something in our days of rest.

 

 

About the Author

Milla van der Have (1975) wrote her first poem at 16, during a physics class. She has been writing ever since. One of her short stories won a New Millennium Fiction Award. In 2015 she published Ghosts of Old Virginny, a chapbook of poems about Virginia City. Milla lives and works in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

 

 

 

 

 

The Amazon purchase link in this post is an affiliate link. Purchasing through it helps sustain Bound 4 Escape.

big words

sleepygirl22 Comments

I love this!

I didn't have my glasses on....

IMG_1055

she’s a big girl of 5 now

and wants 

so desperately 

to read chapter books

all by herself

with lots and lots of pages

 no pictures

no help

flipping through the pages

looking for familiar letters

seeking any word she’s seen before

putting her bookmark in 

taking it out again

opening it

closing it

showing us how thick it is

doing all the things that readers do

so self-assured

‘i can read them all.’

and then 

 her moment oftruth and grace arrives

  as she says

‘isn’t it funny, there isn’t one interesting word in here?’

—

there are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world.

love of books is the best of all.

– jackie kennedy

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