Living Poets

Margaret Noodin, whose latest book What the Chickadee Knows (Gijigijigaaneshiinh Gikendaan) , is in Anishinaabe and English, has two other volumes published. Her vision of the future feels as if she walks with her ancestors. As thoughts can sometimes seemed trapped in English, seeing the Anishinaabe words written provides a freedom and joy that the poems define and set free again with the resiliency of nature.

Nate Marshall lauded by The New York Public Library and NPR as writing one of the best books of 2020. Finna provides a level of truth about ‘fam’ and what it means to grow up where your ‘fam’ ain’t recognized.

Joan Murray so far, I have read just a few of her poems, yet “The Book Pitch,” is such an incredibly moving poem, that I am almost afraid to read more of her poetry.

Skye Jackson A Faster Grave is an excellent title for the chapbook. Every poem contains insight, emotion raw or tender with a tinge of rose colored glasses. The truth is not hidden in her words, and witnessing the hope and sorrow gives each poem the fresh air of spring.

Alicia Jo Rabins was a pleasure to meet at Literary Arts’ Portland Book Festival. As she interviewed Dao Strom, her choices of words and focus of questions reflected intelligence, curiousity and compassion. Fortunately, her book Fruit Geode (Awesome Name!) provides even more depth of her joyful nature with deliciously tactile poetry. The width of her wisdom and arc of her scholarly aptitude sing in her titles, topics and humble truth. And, she is a Laurie Anderson fan!

Jae Nichelle A wonderful speaker, emotive with words and body language, Jae Nichelle’s debut God Themselves is full of intense exploration of self, society and spirit. The Soup triology seems a map to days of solitude, tinged with reflection and perhaps sorrow or satori. Playful and liberated, the poems share her perspective of self knowledge with unapologetic passion and purpose.

Poets Living Through Their Words

Rainer Maria Rilke Letters to a Young Poet is poetic license with no expiration. The truths he explores are written in prose, with depth of emotion and searching of self perhaps never to be penned again. Poem after poem in his volumes of work reach towards the unfathomable, his words as bread crumbs leading immature poets away from droll and tired verse.

Sylvia Plath If all you read of Sylvia’s work is Mad Girl’s Love Song, stop, drop and roll, because it is Fire! The depth of emotion, the almost prophetic words, combined with the villanelle form, create a reflection which seemingly anyone could look into, and have loneliness vanquished. If the point of poetry is to converse, the real and surreal of Sylvia’s sharing where her soul sojourns captures and captivates.

Pablo Neruda Nobel Prize winner, Poet Laureate of Poet Laureates. One day, to write with the eye of passion, the breath taking reverence, and beauty of what the sirens must have been singing. At least for now, I can write with a green pen.

Bernie Worrell All the Woo in the World can’t stop the wisdom from waxing phat through your frontal cortex. If there is ever a dimensional shift which aligns for the Woo Warrior to be in the studio with the OG of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, sign me up!! Though his key fu is world reknowned, his lyrical largesse is lamentably lacking documentation. ‘I give power to poetry see,’ from “Dissinfordollars” off Blacktronic Science.