With a keen eye for detail, and in a way that is accessible and clear, Worth Bateman describes the fullness of life through the lens of ordinary events, and the hard truths, pleasures, foibles and follies familiar to us all. He writes in a style that is thoughtful, ironic, good-natured, and wise, as in these lines from the title poem on the parallels for a young teenager between learning algebra and the pull of sexual attraction: I remember it was fun— once we got the hang of it— ...perhaps a little taste of power playing in this algebraic world, solving for the unknown quantity; not unlike the feeling I had a few years later close dancing at the Junior Prom: after a little bit of trial and error, learning how to do it right, then having the fun of solving for x. And in these lines on love's many facets: ...lasting love seems like a set of skills, like a trade or craft we slowly learn to make a work worth being part of... ...only love makes our life worthwhile but love won't save us in the end... He asks us to think outside the usual norms: Time marches on but suppose it didn't? Time waits for no man but suppose it did?... Coming to poetry late, after another long, successful, and very different career, Worth Bateman is an impressive new voice on the poetry scene. For poetry, a late bloomer.
From Agard to Zephaniah, the very best of children's poetry from the very best of children's poets appears in this wonderful and exciting anthology edited by Michael Rosen, the Children's Laureate. Coinciding with his laureateship and a very welcome public promotion of the need for children's poetry in our education system, this future classic for Puffin will delight readers young and old, and make the perfect gift.
The title poem, a narrative tale for children and grown-ups alike, is accompanied by graceful odes, humorous limericks, artful acrostics, and elegant sonnets.
"David Orr is no starry-eyed cheerleader for contemporary poetry; Orr’s a critic, and a good one. . . . Beautiful & Pointless is a clear-eyed, opinionated, and idiosyncratic guide to a vibrant but endangered art form, essential reading for anyone who loves poetry, and also for those of us who mostly just admire it from afar." —Tom Perrotta Award-winning New York Times Book Review poetry columnist David Orr delivers an engaging, amusing, and stimulating tour through the world of poetry. With echoes of Francine Prose’s Reading Like a Writer, Orr’s Beautiful & Pointless offers a smart and funny approach to appreciating an art form that many find difficult to embrace.
I have composed twenty-six poems in alphabetical order A through Z. Each poem is a description of its title related to positive thinking, health, happiness, love, and life. Each poem consists of four paragraphs and one ?nal line. Each paragraph consists of ?ve lines, free verse and intentionally designed without any punctuation. The title of the book is, ABC Book of Poems for the Heart and Soul and dedicated to my daughters, Elma and Zarah. The cover concept re?ects love, peace, harmony, and wisdom matters so important in our lives. I have chosen the pen name, Jami (which is my nick name) as the sole author of the materials. I have dealt with some basic universal concepts and have written these poems in plain English to reach out to a broad range of readers of all ages, cultures, intellect across the globe. This is my ?rst book of poems ever written and so I am very much interested in your feedback so that I can continue to write by meeting, if not exceeding your expectations. I hope you all enjoy reading these poems and generate some healthy discussions to expand on these title concepts. I wanted to thank you for reading and/or purchasing the book and hope you will continue with your reading habit for your personal and intellectual growth. Also, I wish to continue producing quality books in the years to come.
A volume of poetry in which the author confronts God, the perpetrators of the Holocaust, and the bystanders to the genocide in which six million Jews were murdered. Menachem Rosensaft also reflects on other genocides, physical separation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and why Black lives matter, among other themes that inspire the reader to make the ghosts of the past an integral part of their present and future. About the AuthorMenachem Z. Rosensaft is the associate executive vice president and general counsel of the World Jewish Congress and teaches about the law of genocide at Columbia Law School and Cornell Law School. In addition to a law degree from Columbia Law School and a master's degree in modern European history from Columbia University, he received a master's degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University. He is the editor of God, Faith & Identity from the Ashes: Reflections of Children and Grandchildren of Holocaust Survivors (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2015). ***Through his haunting poems, my friend Menachem Rosensaft transports us into the forbidding universe of the Holocaust. Without pathos and eschewing the maudlin clichés that have become far too commonplace, he conveys with simultaneous sensitivity and bluntness the absolute sense of loss, deep-rooted anger directed at God and at humankind, and often cynical realism. His penetrating words are rooted in the knowledge that much of the world has failed to internalize the lessons of the most far-reaching genocide in history. The son of two survivors of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, Menachem, brings us face to face with his five-and-a-half-year-old brother as he is separated from their mother and murdered in a Birkenau gas chamber. He then allows us to identify with the ghosts of other children who met the same tragic fate. Poems Born in Bergen-Belsen deserves a prominent place in Holocaust literature and belongs in the library of everyone who seeks to connect with what Elie Wiesel called the "kingdom of night." Ronald S. Lauder, President, World Jewish Congress. Ever since he was a college student and in the many decades since Menachem Rosensaft has been raising difficult questions. He has rarely if ever, turned away from a fight when truth and justice were at stake. That same honesty, conviction, and forthrightness are evident in these compelling poems. His passion about the horrors of genocide, prejudice, and hatred leaves the reader unsettled. And that is how it should be. Deborah Lipstadt, Ph.D., Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies, Emory University. Menachem Rosensaft's luminous poetry confirms that he is not only one of the most fearless chroniclers of our factual, hard history, but also a treasured narrator of our emotional inheritance. Each of his poems is a jewel of economy, memory, and pathos, and each is a crystallized snapshot of the strained times we are living in, as well as the past moments we wish we could unlive. Share this collection with the people you care about. Abigail Pogrebin, author of My Jewish Year 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew
