Reviews
Following Sea by Lauren Carter
Review by Christine Stewart-Nuñez Lauren Carter’s second book of poetry, Following Sea, summoned crisp winter air into the humid heat of my July afternoons. As Carter chronicles her ancestors’ journey into the Canadian wilderness and reflects on experiences with infertility,…
Gray is the New Black by Dorothy Rice
Review by Lara Lillibridge Dorothy Rice earned her MFA in creative writing from UC Riverside, Palm Desert, when she turned 60. Gray is the New Black is a coming of age memoir for those of us who took a…
Travellin’ Mama, Edited by Charlotte Beyer, Janet MacLennan, Dorsía Smith Silva, and Marjorie Tesser
Travellin’ Mama: Mothers, Mothering, and Travel Edited by Charlotte Beyer, Janet MacLennan, Dorsía Smith Silva, and Marjorie Tesser Review by Stephanie May de Montigny In Travellin’ Mama each of us likely will find something that resonates with our own…
The Dancing Clock: Reflections on Family, Love and Loss by Nancy Gerber
Review by Tasslyn Magnusson Released in late April 2019, The Dancing Clock by Nancy Gerber is a collection of related essays on the passage of time viewed through a gorgeous prism of her personal experience. They are intimate and…
The Bones of Winter Birds by Ann Fisher-Wirth
“Nothing Was Simply One Thing” The Bones of Winter Birds by Ann Fisher-Wirth Review by Cammy Thomas Ann Fisher-Wirth is an accomplished writer, scholar, and Fulbright recipient. A professor at the University of Mississippi, she has written many books…
Flint & Fire by Lisa Hase-Jackson
Review by Barbara Lawhorn Dedicated to her mother, who passed away nearly a year earlier, and organized in four sections, Lisa Hase-Jackson’s Flint and Fire is a journey of seeking, actively becoming, leaving, returning to, and fashioning anew a…
Knock Wood: A Memoir in Essays by Jennifer Militello
Review by Lara Lillibridge The winner of Dzanc’s 2018 Nonfiction Prize, Knock Wood is the first work of nonfiction by Jennifer Militello, whose previous honors include the Yeats Poetry Prize, the Betty Gabehart Poetry Prize, and the Tupelo Press…
Kairos by Libby Maxey
Review by Carole Mertz It’s a welcome experience to discover so fine a collection of contemporary poetry written entirely in sonnet form. Kairos is a remarkable volume whose voice also reflects the training and inclinations of a classical musician.…
The Shame of Losing: A Memoir by Sarah Cannon
Review by Christine Stewart-Nuñez The Shame of Losing, Sarah Cannon’s debut memoir, opens with her reaction to horrifying news: an accident at work has left her husband, Matt, clinging to life. The twin arcs of Matt’s physical recovery and the…
The Book of Sarah by Sarah Lightman
Review by Marjorie Tesser Raised in an observant Jewish household, Sarah Lightman realized that her biblical namesake, matriarch of her people, did not have a book of the bible named for her. In recognition and remedy, Lightman has named…
Kelly Bargabos on Writing “Chasing the Merry-Go-Round”
Chasing the Merry-Go-Round: Holding on to Hope & Home When the World Moves Too Fast Author’s Note By Kelly Bargabos My heart has always been to tell the story of my brother, Bobby, so that people could see what life…
Chasing the Merry-Go-Round by Kelly Bargabos
Chasing the Merry-Go-Round: Holding on to Hope & Home When the World Moves Too Fast by Kelly Bargabos Review by Laura Dennis Halfway into Chasing the Merry-Go-Round, I thought this was yet another story of someone (the author-narrator) trying…