Good poets seem to recognize that what makes them good is what annoys them most about themselves. Damn the constant chatter—enough already!—but yes, admittedly, there’s some workable stuff in there. A masterful sifter, Tony... Read More

A troubled young boy is sent to his grandmother’s seaside cottage for a summer of reflection in Heather T. Smith’s Ebb & Flow, an emotionally charged YA verse novel that explores the corrosive nature of grief and regret alongside... Read More

Joe’s big brother Ed left one day in their Aunt Karen’s car, and he never came home. He ended up in Texas, where he panicked over being pulled over without the car’s registration, tried to drive away, and was convicted of killing... Read More

There is a poetic expression here for anyone who has ever fallen in love—who has pined for someone, who has loved without being loved back, who has been cheated on, or who has felt confused in love. R. R. Pravin’s poetry collection... Read More

Nine previous books of poetry and a memoir of gender transition does not a life make, but it’s nothing to sneeze at. Dr. Joy Ladin, take that National Endowment of the Arts fellowship and Fulbright Scholarship to the rocker on the back... Read More

July Westhale’s poetry seems accompanied with a tuning fork’s pitch, a heightened, pressing, weaponized immediacy. Whatever she faced to earn that ability would have killed a lesser mortal, we can be sure. A creative writing,... Read More

With gut truths and gin-clear imagery, Trista Mateer reminds us of all those places left unexplored by language. The wonders and especially the heartbreaks of love occupy much of her attention, and also best demonstrate her uncanny... Read More

"Afternoon Tomatoes" is a satisfying poetry compilation that is charming in its colorful humanness. T. J. Richards’s "Afternoon Tomatoes" is a nostalgic, enjoyable, and earthy poetry collection. Organized alphabetically, poems shed a... Read More