My Flights of Fancy
In the vibrant tapestry of everyday life, the heartfelt verses penned by a Scottish 矇migr矇 resonate with warmth, humor, and the nostalgic echoes of childhood. Drawing on the rich lexicon of broad Scots, the author invites readers into her world-one that spans continents, from Turriff, Scotland, to the sun-drenched landscapes of New Zealand. As a former educator, her experience is woven seamlessly into her poetry, bringing familiar themes of family, community, and the joys and challenges of life to the forefront. Each rhymed line is a reflection of her journey: from meeting her husband at Aberdeen University, nurturing three daughters, to her unique role within the educational system as Deputy Principal of the same school, breaking new ground in a foreign land. In her second collection of verses, the author delights in the everyday subjects that shape our lives-celebrating the mundane, the sublime, and the love that binds us as families and friends. With a gentle, rhythmic flow, her poetry captures the essence of both Scottish vernacular and the heart of New Zealand, creating a unique voice that resonates with laughter and poignant reflection. Join her as she shares the stories behind the rhymes, inviting readers to find joy in the ordinary as they journey together through a landscape painted with love, memory, and a touch of whimsy.
The Magic House, and Other Poems
Mist and memory mingle on the edge of a northern wood, where childhood's laughter echoes through dew-laden grass and the hush of twilight reveals the world's quiet mysteries. Here, every line shimmers with the lyricism of a vanished era, yet speaks to the restless heart of today. This remarkable canadian poetry collection, dormant for decades and now republished by Alpha Editions, invites readers into a realm where nature and landscape poetry illuminate the shifting seasons and the soul's secret yearnings. Each poem, restored for today's and future generations, is a finely wrought window into early 20th century poems-moments suspended between innocence and experience, the tangible and the ineffable. Within these pages, lyrical verse anthology meets spiritual and mystical themes, reflecting the unique sensibility of the Edwardian era literature. The poet's voice lingers over rivers and fields, capturing not only the beauty of the natural world but also profound reflections on childhood-those fleeting, golden hours that shape a life. Lovers of canadian literary heritage will recognise echoes of Bliss Carman and find kinship with works like Archibald Lampman, yet the collection stands apart in its subtle exploration of wonder and longing. Each stanza is a testament to the enduring power of poetry to evoke landscape and emotion with equal grace, making it an ideal gift for poetry lovers and a resonant resource for literature students seeking to understand the currents that shaped Canadian verse. This edition is not just a reprint-it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure, lovingly restored to preserve its delicate artistry. Whether you are drawn to the serenity of nature, the allure of spiritual discovery, or the timeless cadence of classic poetry, this anthology offers a rare opportunity to experience a lost gem of poetic tradition, now returned to its rightful place among the greats.
Dora
A child's world can change in a single, shattering moment-yet from the quiet valleys of 19th-century Switzerland, a tale emerges where love and loss entwine, and hope finds its voice in the most unexpected places. Against the evocative backdrop of Karlsruhe, a young girl's journey through grief and resilience becomes a mirror for anyone who has ever yearned for belonging. This children's novel, long out of print and now republished by Alpha Editions, gently unfolds the delicate threads binding a father and daughter, inviting readers into the heart of family relationships marked by both tenderness and sorrow. Restored for today's and future generations, this edition breathes new life into a European classic whose emotional candour and subtle wisdom remain as relevant as ever. The story's coming-of-age arc captures the universal struggle to find light in the shadow of loss, while its nuanced portrayal of the father-daughter bond offers a rare glimpse into the complexities of familial love. Set within the traditions and landscapes familiar to Swiss literature, the narrative's quiet strength lies in its authenticity-drawing from the same well of insight and compassion as other celebrated Johanna Spyri works. For lovers of literary fiction and collectors of cultural treasures, this edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure. The meticulous restoration preserves the voice and spirit that first captivated readers, ensuring that the poignant exploration of loss and grief can resonate with new audiences. Whether discovered by a casual reader seeking solace in a timeless story, or by a classic-collection buyer enriching their library, this Project Gutenberg edition stands as a testament to the enduring power of storytelling. In its pages, the everyday becomes luminous, and the ordinary bonds of family are revealed as extraordinary acts of courage and love.
Little Ann, and Other Poems
A gentle breeze stirs through the pages, carrying the laughter of children and the wisdom of a bygone era. Here, the innocence of early 19th-century England meets the timeless rhythm of verse, inviting readers young and old to rediscover the simple joys of kindness and honesty. Within these poems, nature and animals come alive with character, while the warmth of family and friendship glows at the heart of every line. Each piece is imbued with educational values and a subtle guidance towards character development, reflecting the moral lessons cherished by generations past. This collection, once lost to the shelves of history, returns thanks to Alpha Editions, who have lovingly restored it for today's and future generations. It is more than a mere reprint; it stands as a collector's item and a cultural treasure, capturing the spirit of the Regency era in language both delicate and direct. The verses, penned by two of the era's most influential voices, echo with the familiar strains of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and the heartfelt tenderness of "My Mother", poems that have shaped the landscape of children's poetry for centuries. For the casual reader, these poems offer a window into a world where small acts of goodness are celebrated and the beauty of everyday life is rendered in vivid, memorable lines. For classic-collection buyers and literary enthusiasts, this edition holds historical significance, representing a pivotal moment in the evolution of educational literature. The themes of moral growth and the nurturing of young minds remain as relevant now as they were two hundred years ago, making this restored volume a bridge between past and present-a testament to the enduring power of words to shape hearts and minds.
The Lord of Misrule, and Other Poems
A pale dawn breaks over dew-soaked fields, and the hush of early light is shattered by a single, ringing line-a lyric that lingers, both familiar and strange. In these pages, readers will find a rare collection of early twentieth century poems, each one a window onto the shifting landscapes of the Edwardian era, where tradition and modernity collide in verse. The collection's lyrical voice moves with quiet assurance between reflections on nature and intimate meditations on faith, capturing the fleeting beauty of a world in flux. Here, the influence of romantic poets and the shadow of Alfred Tennyson are felt in every carefully measured stanza, yet the poetry stands apart, marked by a singular vision and a deep engagement with the British literary tradition. For decades, this book was out of print and its evocative lines risked fading into obscurity. Now, republished by Alpha Editions, it has been restored for today's and future generations, ensuring that its insights into the human experience continue to resonate. The poems gather the everyday and the eternal, exploring themes of longing, doubt, and hope with a clarity that speaks as powerfully now as it did a century ago. Lovers of classic English poetry and literature students alike will be drawn to the collection's delicate balance of nostalgia and innovation, its subtle interplay between personal reverie and universal truth. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure, meticulously presented for those who cherish the enduring power of words. Whether you are seeking the solace of lyrical verse or a deeper understanding of the literary currents that shaped the Edwardian era, this volume invites you to linger, reflect, and rediscover the timeless art of poetry.
A Literary History of Ireland, from Earliest Times to the Present Day
Mist and myth swirl across the Irish landscape, yet beneath the rolling green hills lies a story as intricate as the ancient knots that adorn Celtic manuscripts. Here, the pulse of a civilisation beats through its words-echoes of bardic songs, the rise and fall of kingdoms, and the enduring spirit of a people who shaped their destiny through language and lore. This sweeping narrative unfolds the full arc of Irish literary history, from the earliest whispers of Celtic civilisation in literature to the vibrant flowering of the Irish literary revival. Journey through centuries where the Irish language and culture not only survived, but fiercely asserted their place in the world, even as empires rose and faded. With a keen eye for both scholarship and storytelling, the work explores the evolution of Irish literature, tracing its roots in mythic sagas and monastic scholarship, through the turbulence of colonisation, and into the passionate resurgence led by figures such as the Gaelic League. The interplay between Irish nationalism and creative expression is brought to life, revealing how literature became both a shield and a sword in the struggle for identity. The book's historical significance is profound: it stands as a testament to the resilience of Irish culture, illuminating the threads that bind past and present. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations, ensuring that the voices of Ireland's past remain vivid and accessible. More than a mere reprint, this edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure, destined to find a cherished place in any classic collection or personal library. For those captivated by Irish literature, celtic civilisation, or the enduring power of the written word, this volume offers both a scholarly foundation and a lyrical journey through the heart of Ireland.
The complete works of John Gower, volume 4
A world of gilded manuscripts and candlelit scriptoria flickers to life in these pages, where the pulse of fourteenth-century England beats through elegant Latin verse. Here, the moral dilemmas and philosophical musings of late medieval Europe are not relics, but living questions, rendered with a clarity and wit that still resonate in our own age. Once out of print for decades and now republished by Alpha Editions, this volume restores a lost cornerstone of medieval Latin literature to the shelves of both scholars and passionate readers. Within, you'll discover a poetry anthology that bridges the intellectual fervour of Geoffrey Chaucer's contemporaries with the ethical debates that shaped an era, offering rare insight into the minds and hearts of those who navigated a world poised between tradition and transformation. Restored for today's and future generations, this edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure, meticulously prepared to honour the original manuscripts while inviting new audiences into their intricate beauty. The works gathered here illuminate the foundations of medieval ethics, exploring themes of virtue, vice, and the human condition with a sophistication that continues to inspire academic research. For those drawn to historical manuscripts, the text's vivid depictions of courtly life and spiritual reflection provide an unparalleled window into the social fabric of medieval Europe. Scholars of medieval literature will find a trove of material ripe for study, while classic-collection buyers will appreciate the book's enduring value and artistry. In an age where much is fleeting, this volume endures - a testament to the power of language and the enduring quest for meaning. Whether approached for its scholarly depth or its poetic grace, it stands as a vital link in the lineage of Middle English poetry and medieval thought, inviting each reader to enter a world at once distant and familiar.
Lyrical Ballads, with Other Poems, 1800, Volume 1
A lark rises over dew-soaked meadows, its song echoing across the quiet expanse of the English countryside-a scene both achingly real and dreamlike, where the boundaries between nature and imagination dissolve. In these pages, the pulse of rural life and the rawness of human emotion converge, inviting readers into a world where the ordinary is transformed into the extraordinary through the power of verse. Emerging at the dawn of the nineteenth century, this poetic ballads collection became a touchstone for the romanticism literary movement, capturing the spirit of an age hungry for authenticity and wonder. Each poem resonates with a deep reverence for nature, exploring not only its beauty but also its capacity to reflect the inner workings of the soul. This volume stands as a testament to the enduring allure of romantic era literature, offering a window into the minds of those who sought to challenge convention and celebrate the profound in the everyday. The settings, often drawn from the tranquil landscapes of England, evoke a sense of place that is both specific and universal, making these early nineteenth-century poems as relevant to poetry students and literature enthusiasts today as they were to their first readers. The exploration of rural life themes and the intricate tapestry of human feeling remain as compelling now as ever, reminding us of the timeless dialogue between the heart and the world it inhabits. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations, ensuring that the voices which shaped the foundations of English romantic poetry continue to inspire. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure, meticulously presented for those who cherish the written word and the legacy it carries.
Lyrical Ballads, with Other Poems, 1800, Volume 2
Mist rising over a quiet English moor, the hush broken only by birdsong and the distant toll of a bell-such is the atmosphere conjured by these verses, where the ordinary is rendered extraordinary and the pulse of rural life becomes poetry's heartbeat. In the dawn of the nineteenth century, a new voice for english romantic poetry emerged, one that championed nature and imagination over rigid convention, and delved deeply into the exploration of human emotion. Within these pages, the poetic ballads collection unfolds as a tapestry of early 1800s England, inviting readers to witness the world through the lens of Romanticism classics, where the smallest gesture or fleeting moment is imbued with profound significance. This volume, long out of print and now republished by Alpha Editions, captures the restless spirit of its era-an age when literature enthusiasts and poetry students alike were drawn to works that challenged the boundaries of tradition. Each poem resonates with the ideals of romantic era literature, celebrating the beauty and complexity of rural life themes while questioning the relationship between humanity and the natural world. The voices within do not shy away from the rawness of feeling; instead, they elevate it, offering a window into the emotional landscapes of their time. Restored for today's and future generations, this edition stands as more than just a reprint-it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure. Whether you are a seasoned reader of nineteenth-century literature or discovering the movement for the first time, this book offers a rare opportunity to experience the foundational texts that shaped the course of modern poetry. Its revival ensures that the spirit of Romanticism endures, inviting new audiences to lose themselves in the timeless interplay of thought, feeling, and the English countryside.
God Can Fix All Things
Life breaks us in quiet ways and loud ones alike. There comes a moment when belief is no longer abstract-it becomes necessary.In God Can Fix All Things, Sierra Leone Dixon presents a collection of poetry shaped by faith tested through life, hope forged in struggle, and restoration born of surrender. These poems move through seasons of love and loss, ancestry and identity, injustice and resilience, and the quiet strength it takes to keep going when the world feels heavy.With a voice that is reflective, personal, and spiritually grounded, Dixon writes not from theory but from lived experience. Her words speak to daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, and anyone navigating the fragile beauty of being human. Each poem feels like both a prayer and a reminder-that brokenness is not the end of the story, and grace meets us exactly where we are.For readers seeking comfort, courage, and truth, this collection affirms a simple but powerful promise: nothing is beyond repair. Even what feels shattered can still hold purpose.
My Flights of Fancy
In the vibrant tapestry of everyday life, the heartfelt verses penned by a Scottish 矇migr矇 resonate with warmth, humor, and the nostalgic echoes of childhood. Drawing on the rich lexicon of broad Scots, the author invites readers into her world-one that spans continents, from Turriff, Scotland, to the sun-drenched landscapes of New Zealand. As a former educator, her experience is woven seamlessly into her poetry, bringing familiar themes of family, community, and the joys and challenges of life to the forefront. Each rhymed line is a reflection of her journey: from meeting her husband at Aberdeen University, nurturing three daughters, to her unique role within the educational system as Deputy Principal of the same school, breaking new ground in a foreign land. In her second collection of verses, the author delights in the everyday subjects that shape our lives-celebrating the mundane, the sublime, and the love that binds us as families and friends. With a gentle, rhythmic flow, her poetry captures the essence of both Scottish vernacular and the heart of New Zealand, creating a unique voice that resonates with laughter and poignant reflection. Join her as she shares the stories behind the rhymes, inviting readers to find joy in the ordinary as they journey together through a landscape painted with love, memory, and a touch of whimsy.
Little Ferns For Fanny's Little Friends
A child's world is a patchwork of small wonders and quiet trials-yet within those moments, the seeds of empathy and understanding are sown. In these luminous tales, young readers are invited into a tapestry of everyday life where acts of kindness, courage, and honesty illuminate the path from innocence to insight. Brimming with the warmth and candour that defined 19th-century children's literature, this collection of short stories gently explores the joys and dilemmas of childhood, offering moral lessons for children without sermon or severity. Through scenes of bustling parlours, sunlit gardens, and close-knit families, each narrative captures the spirit of an era while addressing social issues in children's stories that remain strikingly relevant. Rediscovered after decades out of print and now republished by Alpha Editions, this edition has been restored for today's and future generations. Its pages echo with the distinctive voice of a pioneering writer whose tales of kindness and empathy shaped the landscape of juvenile fiction for young readers in the mid-1800s. The stories, suffused with family values and a deep understanding of childhood experiences, invite reflection on the timeless challenges and triumphs of growing up. For classic-collection enthusiasts, this edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure, meticulously presented for those who cherish the literary gems of the past. Whether shared at bedtime or treasured on a family bookshelf, these stories about childhood experiences and the gentle art of doing good speak to the heart across generations. The enduring appeal of these tales lies in their ability to reveal universal truths through the smallest acts-a testament to the lasting power of fanny fern's children's stories and their place in the canon of cherished mid-1800s children's books.
The Time of Falling Apart
In a voice that shifts from ironic and quirky to contemplative and speculative, The Time of Falling Apart follows the poet through the inevitable passage of memory and time, and a search for meaning in a world rife with injustice. Without a traditional faith to navigate the horrors and wonders of life on earth, Wendy Donawa lingers with small beauties in a spiritual quest to keep love alive in a "darkening world." The speaker's eyes are wide open on catastrophes of aging, illness and family strife. But early memories are idyllic, entangled in the tides and towns of Vancouver Island, grounded by the coast's sensory world: "the tide's pebbly click and shush / and crows cawing in the arbutus." As she ages, the speaker's internal narrative expands to consider a wider world populated with casualties of colonizing desires, fuelled by competing ideologies and a destabilizing pandemic--the "time of falling apart." Here are the social hells of racism, war, colonial violence and homelessness. Here are despair over a damaged earth and grief over nature's destruction. And yet, how not to notice when bees hum in the lavender, cyclamen gleams in December, and bears burrow in their marvellous, layered coats? When Bach blasts on the sound system, friends and cappuccinos are at hand, and, at the back of it all, there is always the unfathomable, glorious mystery of the cosmos. Elegiac, meditative and unwaveringly kind, this collection is for anyone who has felt unable to reconcile the implacable passing of time, but determined to recognize love and beauty wherever they may be found.
Excalibur
Mist shrouds the ancient forests as swords clash and destinies are forged in the shadow of Camelot. At the heart of this spellbinding Arthurian stage drama, the quest for Excalibur becomes both a test of mythic leadership and a poignant meditation on loyalty, betrayal, and hope. Drawing upon the legendary tales of the middle ages in Britain, this dramatic retelling immerses readers and theatre enthusiasts alike in a world where the boundaries between legend and reality blur, and where the Knights of the Round Table must navigate the perilous path between glory and ruin. Long unavailable and out of print for decades, this masterwork is now republished by Alpha Editions, restored for today's and future generations. Its return is a triumph for lovers of classic literature and those who cherish the enduring power of medieval legend plays. With echoes of Le Morte d'Arthur and the poetic grandeur of Tennyson's Idylls of the King, the narrative unfolds with vivid dialogue and a keen sense of theatricality, making it not only a gripping read but also an invaluable resource for literature students and anyone fascinated by the art of dramatic storytelling. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure, meticulously brought back to life for those who seek to experience the grandeur of Camelot and the timeless moral dilemmas faced by its heroes. Whether you are drawn to the intricate pageantry of a medieval legend play or captivated by the enduring themes of ambition, sacrifice, and the relentless quest for justice, this restored drama stands as a testament to the enduring allure of Arthurian myth. For classic-collection buyers and casual readers alike, it offers a rare opportunity to step into the world of kings and knights, where the past speaks urgently to the present.
November, November
Written across the span of four Novembers, this collection delivers a send-off to "loved poets" who are no longer with us. Dedicated as letters and long epistolary lyrics to those who are missing a loved one, November, November acknowledges poetry's "palpitating vulnerable form," and how sometimes a poem might be the only comfort that resides between silence and grief. Isabella Wang's second collection began as a tribute to the late Phyllis Webb, and was completed in the aftermath of Wang's cancer diagnosis. The poems respond directly to Webb's work and collapse the fine landscapes separating death and Wang's own mortality. Over the course of treatment and "days [when] we don't get to rewrite the history of our bodies," the pace of Wang's poetry slows down in the complicated recovery from cancer. Entering the cloudless silver of November days, her words tell a story of loss and illness, and her poems linger in the cold air, visible.
If: Prey, Then: Huntress
A Publishers Weekly 'Most Notable Poetry' selection in the Spring 2026 PreviewIn her much-anticipated debut collection, Christina Shah captures the landscape of heavy industry through the perceptive eyes of a poet. From a poet working in heavy industry comes an eclectic collection of observations and experiences as a woman on the road and out in the field in traditionally male-dominated environments. if: prey, then: huntress is an exploration of vulnerability, agency and existential homelessness, replete with portraits of beer drinkers and hellraisers and urban landscapes. These poems illuminate the beauty and truth amid the concrete, twisted metal and scraped knuckles.At a time when many countries are reimagining their resource-based economies, Shah's poems position her as a wandering eulogist for old industrial ways of knowing--and for their greying practitioners in the mines, paper mills, shipyards and scrapyards that undergird modern life. The reader is invited into a world that, like the breath, is both dying and being born every minute.
Lucasta
A single candle flickers in a shadowed chamber, illuminating verses that pulse with longing and defiance. Here, the passions and paradoxes of seventeenth-century England are distilled into lyric poetry that shimmers with both tenderness and valour. This restored collection, once out of print for decades and now republished by Alpha Editions, draws readers into a world where love and honour intertwine, and every line is steeped in the spirit of the English Renaissance. The poems, at once intimate and bold, capture the fervent voices of the cavalier poets as they navigate the turbulence of the English Civil War era, their words echoing with romantic longing and the bittersweet ache of loyalty. For the modern reader, these verses are more than relics; they are living echoes of a time when poetry was both rebellion and refuge. The collection's lyricism bridges the gap between metaphysical poetry and the cavalier tradition, exploring themes of desire, virtue, and the fleeting nature of beauty. Each poem, carefully restored for today's and future generations, offers a glimpse into the inner lives of those who penned them-men and women shaped by conflict, yearning, and the relentless pursuit of meaning. The resonance of seventeenth-century verse is palpable, inviting poetry enthusiasts and literature students alike to rediscover the raw emotion and intellectual playfulness that defined an era. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure, meticulously prepared for those who cherish both the artistry and the history of English literature. The collection stands as a testament to the enduring power of poetry to capture the complexities of the human heart, making it essential reading for anyone drawn to the richness of cavalier poetry topics and the enduring legacy of English Renaissance poetry.
Mundus et Infans
Mundus et Infans gathers poetic sequences written across decades into a sustained act of witness. Moving between private memory and public catastrophe, these poems confront war, grief, mortality, and inheritance with formal daring and moral urgency. Richard Hoffman's work resists easy consolation, insisting instead on attention-on what it costs to look, to remember, and to remain human.
A Stone's Throw from Cray
Michelle Alexander's A Stone's Throw from C r a y takes up and is moved by radical Black creativity. To be thrown here unfolds an experience of human connection, struggle, and transformation within and outside institutionalized and Afro-Caribbean contexts. The poems skip across surfaces while collapsing personal and collective histories, thereby shifting spaces of potential that also unsettle Alexander's demarcations. Unfurling remixed narratives and embracing identities' fluidities, the subjects vibrate with her American-Trinidadian imagination. She poetically ambiguates and attends to the relations between the living and the dead, psychosocial precarity, and colonialism. Here, our journey steps alongside her chances at resilience.
Lesbian Dinosaurs / Dinosaur Lesbians
What is gay about the weather? Queer about gardening? Feminist about recovery? Lesbian about every piece of art? The poems in Lesbian Dinosaurs / Dinosaur Lesbians move through the natural world, the political moment, literary lineage, and a domestic space, built piece by piece by two wives, to claim their rightful place at the center of poetry itself. Would the mentors and guides and ghosts referenced in these poems-many of them situated at the center of heteropatriarchal midcentury America-be able to clock Nicole Santalucia's radical, full flowering? Maybe. Poetry has always been a complicated paradise, and we are lucky to have a new way in. -Laura Cronk, author of Ghost Hour
Reflections of Ink - Riflessi d'inchiostro
Dear reader, Reflections of Ink unfolds as a work steeped in quiet bitterness, yet brushed by delicate traces of sweetness. It evokes sorrow, though never without the faint shimmer of hope, and reveals a fragile vulnerability beneath its harsh, disciplined language.The first section contemplates the many facets of human experience, touching upon love, beauty, hope, triumph and defeat, dream and imagination. The second part ventures into the depths of existential complexity, exploring the poet's inner life-his struggle with language and the creative act itself and it turns toward the darker contours of being, confronting themes of survival, victimization, suicide, and death.Guiding the reader through an emotional and meditative journey, the work unveils profound truths with both restraint and intensity. Vivid imagery and visionary language draw us into intimate and unsettling inner landscapes. Its apocalyptic tones and intense invocations generate a charged tension where unease, solitude, and the yearning for freedom intertwine.Inspired by the poem Creativity, which forms its thematic and stylistic nucleus, Reflections of Ink is born of an intense, troubled interior experience. Within the seclusion of writing, the poet wrestles with the ceaseless current of thought. In the silence of creative solitude, disorder becomes art: moments of lucidity alternate with confusion as emotions and reflections take shape in words, and words become fragments of a restless search for meaning.Life itself may be seen as an inner pilgrimage, and poetry as its privileged vessel of revelation. The reader is invited to journey alongside the author through nineteen compositions, each charged with raw emotion: sighs and tremors, layers of shadow, muffled cries, tears, and nostalgia. Through this encounter, reading becomes a life-changing experience-an exploration of the depths of existence, and a space of reflection, catharsis, and possible deliverance for those willing to listen.
What's Possible
W.H. Auden said about poetry: "there is only one thing / that all poetry must do; it must praise all it can for being / and for happening." For forty years, Robert Cording's poems have sought to praise a world that need not be, but is. His poems embrace what cannot be changed: that living brings us face-to-face with suffering and injustice, beauty and grace. From the start, his work has explored three questions: Why does it feel that life is "good," even in the face of so much suffering and grief? How can he be grateful for what he has been given despite the almost daily onslaught of affliction and sorrow in the world? How, finally, can he not only embrace, but praise the opposing sides of what's possible: the utter grief and utter joy of being alive?In the words of poet Eamon Grennan, Cording is always "transforming his naturalist's scrutiny of the world into moral interrogation, bringing to our attention, in poem after poem, 'the strangeness we were born to.'"What's Possible: New and Selected Poems makes clear what many have long known: that Robert Cording is among his generation's finest poets, and that his work has been both deeply consistent and yet constantly evolving. Here is a poet both unsparing and generous, a voice that has always heeded Shakespeare's injunction to "speak what we feel, not what we ought to say."
Reflections of Ink - Riflessi d'inchiostro
Dear reader, Reflections of Ink unfolds as a work steeped in quiet bitterness, yet brushed by delicate traces of sweetness. It evokes sorrow, though never without the faint shimmer of hope, and reveals a fragile vulnerability beneath its harsh, disciplined language.The first section contemplates the many facets of human experience, touching upon love, beauty, hope, triumph and defeat, dream and imagination. The second part ventures into the depths of existential complexity, exploring the poet's inner life-his struggle with language and the creative act itself and it turns toward the darker contours of being, confronting themes of survival, victimization, suicide, and death.Guiding the reader through an emotional and meditative journey, the work unveils profound truths with both restraint and intensity. Vivid imagery and visionary language draw us into intimate and unsettling inner landscapes. Its apocalyptic tones and intense invocations generate a charged tension where unease, solitude, and the yearning for freedom intertwine.Inspired by the poem Creativity, which forms its thematic and stylistic nucleus, Reflections of Ink is born of an intense, troubled interior experience. Within the seclusion of writing, the poet wrestles with the ceaseless current of thought. In the silence of creative solitude, disorder becomes art: moments of lucidity alternate with confusion as emotions and reflections take shape in words, and words become fragments of a restless search for meaning.Life itself may be seen as an inner pilgrimage, and poetry as its privileged vessel of revelation. The reader is invited to journey alongside the author through nineteen compositions, each charged with raw emotion: sighs and tremors, layers of shadow, muffled cries, tears, and nostalgia. Through this encounter, reading becomes a life-changing experience-an exploration of the depths of existence, and a space of reflection, catharsis, and possible deliverance for those willing to listen.
Salvaged
A heartfelt compilation of poems born from moments of joy, sorrow, and reflection. Inspired by travels, quiet lakes, and an enduring hope for brighter, kinder days ahead.
Provoke
Provoke is a 21st-century, 24-year-old's interpretation of circumstance. Poetry, for me, is both a tool for self-exploration and a rearview mirror. At its core, this book is about vulnerability. I seek to take emotions - singular or layered - and unpack their contextual dimensions.My voice has echoed across stages in the Middle East (UAE, Oman, Egypt), and it felt time to translate those experiences to paper. My writing orbits around one constant: descriptive detail. I believe we passively react to what relates to us, but actively respond to what resembles us. This book aims to illuminate every familiar corner, curve, and sentiment within the concepts it explores.Throughout these pieces, the reader will witness distinct mood shifts - a reflection of my daily emotional highs and lows, mirroring my personal psychological turbulence. My hope is that this book leaves readers with an instinctive urge to heal.
No More Animal Poems
No More Animal Poems is a plea and an ode to all creatures great and small.No More Animal Poems breaks new ground with a genre of eco-poetry that could be described as 'cosmic cli-po', or climate change poetry, invested in evocations of a multiverse in crisis. Employing a play on the futuristic eye/I, the poetry in this volume anticipates universes changed by climate. In the year 2026, the Anthropocene is in crisis and biodiversity is becoming increasingly less diverse, as extinctions continue to occur around the globe. Global warming continues apace and many national governments refuse to significantly decrease their burning of fossil fuels. These poems probe a wide variety of issues and life forms associated with the rising extinction rate and the associated folly, greed and shortsightedness of humanity in the face of potential climate disaster. Importantly, this volume is pointedly structured as a series of courses on a menu, or perhaps a futuristic omakase. These witty but often savage gastronomies advocate for the non-human and critique contemporary consumption, including tokenistic veganism.They also refer to a growing hierarchy of foods which prioritise rarity often at enormous expense.There is a mordant and ironic humor informing many of the poems in this collection, and a keenly observant eye that complements Vincenz's interest in history and contemporary values. Indeed, some of the more overtly satirical poems skewer the human capacity for self-delusion and self-justification. Vincenz reminds the reader that numerous of our fineries and pretensions are causes of our increasing vulnerability.As the world changes, humanity's sense of a secure future dwindles. Their sense of their place in the world not only becomes more insecure but is riven by contradiction and crisis. And, in the midst of such change, poetic language itself becomes a plea. Vincenz's poems evoke what is lost or being lost with a pithy accuracy: faded watercolors of waterfalls and birds, the salmon spawning, the she bears gulping salmonas they ride the upsurge, upstaging the hovering buzzards;and, at night, the crickets singing ancient love songs.
All Roads Lead to Here
The poems in ALL ROADS LEAD TO HERE, Carolina Hospital's third solo collection, expose tensions between loss and love, youth and wisdom, hope and reality. Transformative moments capture womanhood, the trauma of illness, the exile experience, and nature's forces interacting with the human through an exacting eye. The book pulls from the author's experiences of displacement, which insistently lead her back to the sea. Hospital weaves past with present, offering glimpses into the trajectory of her life, while braiding images of the sea, a powerful and constant magnet. Readers accompany the poet through an intimately layered and unraveling journey that simultaneously intrigues and moves. "All Roads Lead to Here is steeped in the present tense of nature. It is a salve in troubled times." Mia Leonin
Got There
Got There: Poems on Vanishing is a collection of poetry inspired by a photograph taken by poet and essayist Alina Stefanescu of lights dancing, disappearing, and then reappearing at the edge of the frame. The poems address the human desire to leave terror, to be safe, to be seen, and to be remembered. This book-length project focuses on the motion of being and being many different things on your way forward and away.
Sent Away
This collection of poems has been written by men and women as part of their recovery from the harm and trauma of being sent away at a young age to boarding school. The harm is not specifically due to hardship, cruelty or abuse: but the fundamental rift of broken attachment to parents, home, pets, toys and all that is familiar to the young child. Commonly, awareness of the impact of the boarding experience does not manifest until well into adult life. Former boarders often lead successful lives, but become increasingly conscious that something in them is incomplete. An event, such as a broken relationship or their own children starting school, can trigger a powerful response of distress and confusion, even to the point of breakdown and collapse. Only by seeking professional help and by their own hard work do they come to understand what has happened to them - that it is not their fault; that they can grow and learn from the experience; and that they can see themselves and those they love in a new and kinder light. Creativity can play a large part in this process, be it in the visual arts, drama, writing or, as in this book, poetry. The editors, two of whom are former boarders, all have worked as part of Boarding School Concern and its predecessors to help former boarders come to terms with their situation. For this book, they have made a selection from the poems written over many years for Poetry Corner at the well-regarded annual conference held by Boarding School Concern. In addition, they have chosen some other poems from the literature that particularly well express the impact of boarding. This anthology will be a route to reflection at the deepest level for former boarders. For psychotherapists, counsellors and educators it will provide insight into the often buried turmoil of the former boarder's psyche.
Just Wondering About It All
This book is a collection of random thoughts, ideas, and reflections on life, choices, struggles, and simple moments. It invites you to pause, reflect, and look at familiar things from a new, gentle perspective.
What's Possible
W.H. Auden said about poetry: "there is only one thing / that all poetry must do; it must praise all it can for being / and for happening." For forty years, Robert Cording's poems have sought to praise a world that need not be, but is. His poems embrace what cannot be changed: that living brings us face-to-face with suffering and injustice, beauty and grace.From the start, his work has explored three questions: Why does it feel that life is "good," even in the face of so much suffering and grief? How can he be grateful for what he has been given despite the almost daily onslaught of affliction and sorrow in the world? How, finally, can he not only embrace, but praise the opposing sides of what's possible: the utter grief and utter joy of being alive?In the words of poet Eamon Grennan, Cording is always "transforming his naturalist's scrutiny of the world into moral interrogation, bringing to our attention, in poem after poem, 'the strangeness we were born to.'"What's Possible: New and Selected Poems makes clear what many have long known: that Robert Cording is among his generation's finest poets, and that his work has been both deeply consistent and yet constantly evolving. Here is a poet both unsparing and generous, a voice that has always heeded Shakespeare's injunction to "speak what we feel, not what we ought to say."
A man without a head
A man without a head / een man zonder hoofd is a bilingual poetry collection born from sixteen years chasing enlightenment. The immense need to transform, to change, to prove myself. To destroy the parts I thought I didn't want.These poems were written in the margins of journals. Some needed careful crafting, some came crashing in. Raw and uncut. They move between the kingdom of fear and fields of light. From the manifesto of truthforce to the sharp critique in spiritual glamour tea parties. From shadow work in the vagabond inside to the mystical awakening in red fire dragons to the stillness of child of sand.Dennis Parengkuan writes in both Dutch and English. Not as translation, but as two different ways to speak truth. To rage. To break free.For readers navigating: Spiritual awakening beyond dogmaBreaking free from systems of controlShadow work and inner transformationBilingual expression as liberationThe journey from fear to freedom"No prison for the ones who are part of me."
Mother Africa
Rooted in the rhythms of performance and the pulse of history, Mother Africa is a poetic exploration of identity, culture, and resistance. Through evocative verse, the collection weaves together ancestral memory, political struggle, and the enduring spirit of the African continent. Drawing from Yoruba tradition, mythology, and oral storytelling, the poems unfold as chants of defiance and songs of survival. They capture the voices of warriors, revolutionaries, and everyday people whose lives shape and are shaped by the forces of history. From the cadence of ritual to the echoes of protest, Mother Africa is both a lyrical tribute and a call to remembrance.
Saffron Rosa
'Who has a key to open all doors? When all doors open into closed rooms? One room contains the happiness of human lives. One room is furnished with desolation. One room is a silent swirling cosmos. But who has a key to open all doors? The golden key to a golden existence...?'
Seventeen Songs and These Given Sonnets
Seventeen Songs and These Given Sonnets is a collection of poems by Luis A. Estable that explores the many sides of human experience-love and intimacy, faith and doubt, joy and sorrow, the pull of nature, the weight of suffering, and the search for meaning in a world both tender and harsh.Some pieces are gentle, capturing spring mornings, children's laughter, and quiet beauty. Others are raw and unflinching, confronting illness, desire, injustice, and the hard truths of mortality.Direct, honest, and deeply personal, these poems invite readers to reflect on the light and shadow within their own lives.
The Ballad of Blood and Power
One of the most tragic political assassinations in Soviet history occurred on December 1, 1934-the murder of Sergei Kirov, First Secretary of the Leningrad Communist Party Organization. His death, like a bolt from the blue, shook the entire country.A trusted friend and close confidant of Stalin, Kirov had once been a tireless enforcer of the Party line. By the late 1920s and early 1930s, however, he had risen as a beloved leader of the rapidly industrializing Soviet Russia.Respected by Party members at all levels, Kirov's influence grew- perhaps too much for Stalin's comfort. Some of Kirov's views clashed with Stalin's, particularly regarding the harsh treatment of Party personnel. At the 1932 Party Plenum, Kirov even received more votes than Stalin in a secret ballot for the membership in the Communist Party's Central Committee.Kirov was a powerful, charismatic speaker and a very popular figure both within the party and generally. It is no stretch to imagine that Stalin could see him as a threat to his own leadership role.The bilingual rhymed tale presented here, was originally written in Russian and then translated into English.It dramatizes the fateful encounter between Kirov and Stalin, set on the brink of Kirov's murder. The encounter imagines a political clash between the two, that seals Kirov's tragic fate.While rooted in historical facts, the entire tale remains a work of fiction.It attempts to be a reflection on power, fear and conspiracy - where absolute authority demands absolute loyalty, with those who challenge it paying the ultimate price.
Of Ash and Storm
This book presents two new renditions of the Iliad and the Odyssey in a novelistic retelling. This complete novel presents the gods as darker and more sinister in the plots against Troy, the Greeks and against Odysseus as he struggles to find his way home. The struggles with the gods come to a climax for Achilles as he seeks to defeat Hector in front of the city of Troy and for Odysseus as he finds justice for his home against the suitors that attempted to charm his wife away from him while he was gone for twenty years.While the original Iliad did not include the story of the fall of Troy and the Trojan Horse, this novel includes that part of the story that comes from the lost epic the Iliou Persis. Many movies and other tellings of the Iliad include this story as part of the Iliad even though Homer never told this part of the fall of Troy in the original epic poem.Also included are the authors vision of what started the war with the taking of Helen from Sparta, and Achilles reuniting with both Hector and his friend Patroclus in the afterlife.
A Mishmash of Observations and Emotional Verse
In A Mishmash of Observations and Emotional Verse, D. V. Whiteland transforms a lifetime of experiences into raw, honest poetry. These verses emerge from what he calls "the most emotive time of his long life" - offering both personal revelation and universal truth. With unflinching honesty, Douglas captures the full spectrum of human experience: history's weight, family's comfort, betrayal's sting, and the resilience that carries us forward. A powerful collection that proves our most difficult moments often yield our most essential truths.
form a more perfect
Poetry. Winner of the Tenth Gate Prize. In wildly experimenting form, Marina Blitshteyn tackles identity within the boundaries of today's American frontier. From Coney Island to Buffalo to the America that hovers above us as dream-concept, through family and class and gender, she pushes to learn everything that can be discovered through language, story, and design. Richard Hoffmans asks, "Was it always like this? What was it like back then? Why do some sit in caf矇s while others live on the street? What's the worst that can happen? These are questions to conjure with, and in asking them, among many others equally trenchant, the linguistically alert poems of form a more perfect conjure a vision of our common life that is emancipatory, clear, fresh, and exciting. Crossing borders of language, of class, of this or that expectation, Marina Blitshteyn's concentrated and incandescent poems are pleasurably unsettling, even liberating. Profane, vulgar, beautiful, and deeply nourishing, (blood sausages of languages/ i pick up like scraps for a dog, a bitch) the poems in form a more perfect bear witness to the tragedy of our unravelling, yet somehow manage to dance while carrying that weight."E. C. Belli describes this work as "urgent, inscribing itself within an inheritance of Jewish diasporic works, Slavic verse, and literatures of dreamed and dystopic new worlds. It grapples with multilingualism, identity, and the way language tries until it fails and falls apart, while paradoxically offering itself up as a rare salve. In the final poems, which are redacted, a line reads: 'the poetry is for you.' In this sonically vibrant universe haunted by Moldova, where Russian, Hebrew, Yiddish, and English, as well as Buffalo, New York, and America are key players, Seussian rhymes are distorted, 'ignorance is bills, ' and the speaker is 'still a stranger' stepping into Goodwill, where 'one man's / trash is another woman's history.'"Belli continues, "Escaping one violence to meet another, the speaker, who has been mothered and othered, uprooted and put down, labeled and misconstrued, grapples with notions of home, family, and self in a world of sobered illusions whose only firm ground, in the end, is the materiality of sound and linguistic play. Despite its serious themes and pointed critiques, Blitshteyn's voice is unshakably warm and inviting, uniting rather than divisive, shrewd and undeniable, moving seamlessly from the specifics of her distinctive world to universal considerations. This gives her verse a staying power and a rare complexity, such as that typically preoccupying literary scholars, for its unique set of circumstances. Beyond urgent, therefore, it reveals itself of great critical importance."
Longwinded
Longwinded is a storm of voice and vision, where poetry breaks its own boundaries and memory refuses to stay quiet. Sadiki Connickie writes with the pulse of the Caribbean and the fire of a man wrestling with language itself. These are not poems to skim; they demand to be felt, to be carried, to be remembered. Each line reaches for the unspoken, unearthing the rhythms of love, struggle, and survival with uncompromising honesty. This is poetry that sings, poetry that bleeds, and poetry that will not let you go. Open Longwinded and prepare to be undone.
Poetry 101
This is a collection of my poetry. I was born in England but migrated to Australia as a child with my family. For most of my life I have lived in Wollongong NSW. I have had the pleasure of teaching in Catholic primary and secondary schools. I retired at the end of 2019 but still work as a casual teacher. Most of my poems were written in the past 6 years. I would like to thank the many students who have encouraged me to write and publish, and 6 months ago I made a promise that I would publish before the end of 2026. This is the result. I would like to dedicate this book to the many family members and friends who have encouraged me to pursue this area of interest. Special mention to my loving and supportive wife, Ernestina.
Virtue and Innocence Are Purity
Respect is earned by purity and integrity. With every ending you may not have wanted, comes a beginning you might have needed. We can't master our entire life in one day. Relax every day and just master the day every day. Love is always the answer. Be yourself. Have your own unchanging values. Possess virtue and innocence.
Dream Catcher 52
The conversation with Katrina Porteous invites reflection on how significant language is in articulating the identities and practices of particular cultures, and how the erosion or elimination of communities can cause a real loss of 'voice'. She also encourages us to think anew about how poetry 'speaks' from beneath the radar - not just through conventional publication on a page (whether actual or digital) but through its function and context. Poems can shout from the side of buses; whisper from a well-worn bench; jostle the prayers and readings for a place in an order of service for a funeral. Is a mass-produced rhyming ditty in a greetings card a poem? Is a dedication on a tombstone? We close this issue with another highly relevant question: what does it feel like to BE a poem?This emphasis on loss and endings may sound rather valedictory; perhaps the increasingly short days of the northern hemisphere have infected my thinking. In DC 51 we had a record number of poems 'after' some other poet/phenomenon/artwork etc. The submissions this time seemed to be more dominated by sombre content, perhaps reflecting the increasingly fractured and fractious world we inhabit. Here, we say goodbye to loved ones; to youth; perhaps even to planet earth as Mars beckons. Sinister events await investigation in the graveyard; ladybirds invade the inner sanctum. Children's school days are punctuated by triage during warfare. Perhaps we are 'all cried out'. But, as always, the brown envelopes that flopped onto my doormat also contained wit and warmth and wackiness. God clearly needs an assistant to complete the job (though are there enough women around to apply the Bechdel test to the book of Genesis?). A three year old relishes the mouthfeel of a new word. Spring and autumn love warm the cockles of the most jaded heart. At least, 'we very rarely eat our spouse'. We also flag up the successes of poets whose work was shared through previous issues of Dream Catcher - new books are published or forthcoming by (among others), Emily Zobel Marshall, Elaine Ewart, Sue Butler, Philip Burton, Gerald Killingworth, Clive Donovan, Christopher James, Clifford Liles, This issue also features the art of Joseph Bucklow.
Saffron Rosa
'Who has a key to open all doors? When all doors open into closed rooms? One room contains the happiness of human lives. One room is furnished with desolation. One room is a silent swirling cosmos. But who has a key to open all doors? The golden key to a golden existence...?'
A Mishmash of Observations and Emotional Verse
In A Mishmash of Observations and Emotional Verse, D. V. Whiteland transforms a lifetime of experiences into raw, honest poetry. These verses emerge from what he calls "the most emotive time of his long life" - offering both personal revelation and universal truth. With unflinching honesty, Douglas captures the full spectrum of human experience: history's weight, family's comfort, betrayal's sting, and the resilience that carries us forward. A powerful collection that proves our most difficult moments often yield our most essential truths.
Whispers of the Heart
Whispers of the Heart explores desire, heartbreak, and the metaphorical wilderness we encounter in life, guided by the belief that the truest answers come from listening to the quiet whispers within. This soulful, often lyrical collection is meant to inspire, comfort, and connect with all who live with romance in their hearts and pursue life with deep love and passion.
