What Amazon Says
The first anthology to gather poems by the forty-three poets laureate of the United States.
My 4-Star Review
A fellow author in my Behind Our Eyes group recommended this book, and I’m glad I picked it up. Produced by the Library of Congress, it includes work by poets laureate who served in this position from 1937 to 2010 when it was published. Each author has a section in the book containing a biography and a description of the poet’s work followed by several poems. The foreword and introduction by former poet laureate Billy Collins and editor Elizabeth Hun Schmidt offer a glimpse of what it’s like to be a poet laureate.
Although I skipped over many of the poets featured here because their subject matter was too deep, or their abstract style left my mind wandering, I enjoyed reading and rereading poems by favorites including Billy Collins, Ted Kooser, and Robert Frost and found a few new poets I hadn’t heard of before.
Having a sweet tooth, one of my favorites was “Maple Syrup” by Donald Hall, in which he talks about how his grandfather made that concoction I use to top pancakes and oatmeal. I also enjoyed “Introduction to a Poem” by Billy Collins, in which he makes a good point about how we tend to over-think the meaning of a poem.
One thing all these poets laureate have in common is that in their own styles, they share slices of their lives and lives of others. You can read this book from cover to cover, as I did, or pick poets and poems at random. No matter how this collection is read, I hope it will be enjoyed through the years.
Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography
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New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me
Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.
Independently published with the help of DLD Books.
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Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.
After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.
Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.
Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?
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