Tracing the days of the writer edging into middle age, the 888 poems presented in volume four of The Complete Poems of Louis Daniel Brodsky offer a glimpse into the frenzied life of a man compelled, by his discipline and inner passion, to capture the elements of his existence and explode them upon the page ... Startlingly honest and bristling with the energy of Brodsky's discontent, this book records the poet gaining momentum, as a writer, even as his personal life spirals out of control. --Time Being Books.
Winner of the Vassar Miller Prize in Poetry, 2001. The way we construct our selves--as the ancients created meaningful shapes from the random sparkles of the stars at night--is the theme and structural principle of this collection of poems. In writing them, Jeanine Hathaway assumed the constellations of Eldest Child, Ex-Nun, Former Wife, Single Mother, Writer, Teacher, and Pilgrim. Their most notable aspect is their exploration of spirituality, the awe and ambivalence that characterize every significant relationship, whether it be with God, family, friends, invented and historical figures, or oneself.
The second volume in Louis Daniel Brodsky's Complete Poems series, covering his early years as a professional poet, from 1967-1976, contains more than eight hundred chronologically arranged pieces. This body of work shows Brodsky developing a number of artistic strategies to record the life he chose outside the realm of academia, which he abandoned after complete his master's degree in creative writing at San Francisco State University in 1968. --Time Being Books.
Winner of the 16th Annual Writers Digest Self-Published Award for Poetry, 2008 An Eric Hoffer Book Award Winner, 2007 I am always happy to drop everything--pretty nearly--when I make the acquaintance of a new poet as good as E.M. Schorb. James Dickey The poems of E.M. Schorb shine calmly even as they buzz with energy; are connaissant with the world and yet transcendent of it; make something deeply funny and yet highly sad--given a world and a time and a good minds eye. This is the work of a mature intelligence, its ironies unadulterated by cynicism, and its swells informed by understatement. Heather McHugh Schorbs poetry is rich with humor and an almost gestaltic sense of clarity; this unique voice allows him to maintain a tonal unity while moving through a variety of forms. Raymond Thibodeaux, "New Delta Review" Schorb draws from science, art, literary history, and popular culture, balancing these subjects in a thoughtfully conceived and organized book. Lurking behind all is the danger and violence of life--call it mans and natures inhumanity to each other--which Schorb handles maturely, without cynicism, and often with a humor that places him somewhere between Marvin Bell and Kenneth Koch. Todd Verdun, "The Carolina Quarterly" I think Ed Schorb is one of our very finest poets. Some of the poems are breathtaking both for their literary skill and for their human appeal. E.M. Schorbs work has range, variety, wit, depth and a zest for both language and life. Anthony S. Abbott,poet and author of the Novello Prize winning novel, Leaving Maggie Hope "Schorb's poems are good modern poems, on a high literary level--some are touched with greatness." Cornel Lengyel, poet, playwright, publisher: Dragon's Teeth Press
   This first comprehensive collection of Margaret Walker's autobiographical and literary essays has been acclaimed as "a powerful social history and as a serious study of black American literature."- Kirkus Review In the title essay, Walker recounts the search for family and social history from which she wrote her carefully researched novel of the Civil War. The autobiographical essays reflect on her work and her life as an artist, as African-American, and a woman, while the literary essays examine the writings of such giants as Richard Wright, W.E.B. DuBois, Phyllis Wheatley, Georgia Douglas Johnson, and others. "Spanning a half-century (1943to 1988), these brilliant, intimate writings capture the flavor of the times and powerfully convey the social and literary thoughts that distinguishes Walker as one of the intellectual beacons of her generation."- Booklist
