Already an Amazon #1 Bestseller in New Releases of Poetry Anthologies, Hidden in Childhood: A Poetry Anthology, is now available on Amazon.com! Two of my poems appear in the collection, The Listener and I HATE SNAKES.
Amazon Description
“From authors featured on NPR, BBC, and the New York Times, and from emerging poets, comes a monumental anthology in which every poem sends shivers down your spine. Childhood’s joy and trauma expressed – with stunning talent and sincerity – by over 150 poets in more than 280 poems. Childhood spaces magnified by the human memory, populated by good and bad, by trips to hell and heaven, in an almost Hieronymus Bosch type of atmosphere. Over 150 voices call you to read this book. Read it. You will learn that childhood never goes away. You will be reminded of the beauty of the seraphim and the need to protect children from any form of abuse. 150 voices knock on your door. Open the door. A chorus of childhoods will tell you that our children need love.
“Literary Revelations is proud to bring you this anthology and deeply grateful to all contributors for pouring out their hearts into the pages of this book.” (Gabriela Marie Milton, Editor)
It’s a wonderful collection, full of wonderful poems by talented poets.
Get your copy today!
Dawn Pisturino
January 30, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Hidden in Childhood: A Poetry Anthology (2023)
Co-Author, 2023 Arizona Literary Magazine
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women (2022)
Ruminative Wordsby Fritzinie Lavoile (2022). Available on Amazon.com.
Fritzinie is a young Haitian poet whose poetry reflects wisdom beyond her years. Her verses are tender, insightful, beautiful, and filled with hope. Though young in years, she freely shares her thoughts, emotions, and experiences on various topics: love, heartache, disappointment, betrayal, survival, racism, and the deep and abiding love and support found within her own family and faith. Her poetry is a vehicle for helping others find their “safe space” and become their own “safety net.”
From the very first poem in the collection, I was hooked:
“May our love be like the branches on a tree . . .
which not even the strongest of winds could break.
May our love rise above obstacles . . .
that block its path towards the light.
May our love stretch its every inch
as it reaches for life.”
Surviving an earthquake, she writes:
“Sometimes I feel like I am still that six-year-old girl in
Haiti.
In the middle of an earthquake.
Stuck under that brick wall.
Everyone tramping on top of me
yearning to survive,
deafened to my cries.”
In spite of difficulties and pain, she perseveres:
“I press my eyes
begging for tomorrow to come.
The night insists on being a little longer
teaching me the importance of longing.
Of being patient.”
Although I do not know Fritzinie personally, I feel a connection to her after reading her lovely collection of poems. Her strength and resilience shine through her words, giving me hope that even the darkest days will still produce young poets with the energy to shine through the clouds and write to inspire and uplift those around them.
The Sheltering by Khaya Ronkainen (2022). Available on Amazon.com.
Khaya is a South African poet living in Finland. Her impressive collection of poems is written with thoughtful consideration, deep emotion, and keen observation of the world around her. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, she addresses issues like depression, isolation, grief, friendship, and family. Her experience with the pandemic and lockdown reflects the experience of so many other people who suddenly found themselves suffering in silence and alienation: Why did this happen? Are we doing the right thing? Will it ever end? Will life return to normal? What is the end result of such a dystopian event? Finally, leaving the shelter of home prompted new concerns: Is the world a better place? Are we better people now? Did we learn anything new? Will it happen again?
“The world is already divided
No sooner have we all agreed
that this pandemic knows no colour
than we witness reality
Life is cheap for those who can afford
The common enemy encircles
gathering strength, widening the gap
between the haves and have-nots
Inertia and action, fraternal twins
whose distinction seems unimportant
yet change hangs in the balance”
Expressing herself through poetry helped Khaya get through the pandemic. Yet, while humans sheltered at home, nature continued its orderly routine. Flowers still bloomed. Birds still warbled. The earth still turned. And when that final autumn came before the restrictions were lifted, leaves still burned with color and hope:
“Nothing depicts autumn like October’s blazing
sun before it dips beneath the horizon. While
I toast marshmallows in the evenings and
drink apple cider sangria deep into the night, I
acknowledge you are a multifaceted season of
the soul. A season to dance with things I
cannot control and reclaim freedom. I’ll
indulge and celebrate on your good days.
Because I cannot stop leaves from falling.”
We could not stop the pandemic, but we endured. What we choose to do with that is up to us. The world is still a beautiful place:
Gabriela Marie Milton has put together another wonderful anthology of poems, this time about childhood and how it influenced us as adults: our memories, values, experiences, character, and goals. I am lucky enough to have poetry included in the collection. Published by Literary Revelations Publishing House, the book will be available in late January.
Ciao!
Dawn Pisturino
January 13, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
A few months ago, I suddenly realized that I had not been to the local library since before the pandemic, so I dusted off my old library card and made a point of visiting. During the lockdown, the county remodeled the whole facility and expanded the number of books available. They did a fantastic job! I was very impressed with the results and enjoyed browsing the shelves for a few good mystery books — and it didn’t cost me a dime.
When digital publishing became popular, people predicted the demise of public libraries. While bookstores in general have been profoundly affected, local libraries seem to have thrived. And, thank goodness for that! Libraries offer so much more than just checking out books.
I still remember Mrs. Brown from my childhood days, the chubby little librarian with stern eyes and short grey hair, who presided over our tiny branch of the county library. We lived out in the country then, and I used to ride my bike several miles to check out books. Whenever I chose something she didn’t approve of (I was an advanced reader and liked to check out the latest New YorkTimes best-sellers), she would ask me: “Did your parents give you permission to read that?” Now, my parents didn’t care what I read, but I always told her “yes,” and that was the end of the conversation. I still remember her looking at me with grave doubts when I checked out The Collector by John Fowles (which is still a good book and a great movie, by the way).
One of the most famous scenes from musical theater is “Marian the Librarian” from The Music Man – a musical that will put you into a joyous and inspired mood like nothing else. The movie (1962), starring Shirley Jones, is delightful!
Have a great day!
Dawn Pisturino
January 6, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
I’m pleased and honored to announce that my poetry has been accepted for inclusion in the upcoming anthology, Hidden inChildhood, edited by the wonderfully gifted Gabriela Marie Milton, and published by Literary Revelations Publishing House. The anthology will be released in late January 2023. Submissions will remain open until January 3, 2023.
Thank you so much for including me!
Dawn Pisturino
December 22, 2022
Copyright 2022 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
Today, I want to shine the spotlight on Aparna Jagannath, a dear WordPress friend who lives in Chennai, India. Her passion for reading and writing is unsurpassed. She is a prolific reader with an M.A. in English Literature. She possesses impressive knowledge about writers from various cultures. She also writes wonderful poems and stories that will knock your socks off with their profound wisdom, wicked humor, and keen insight into the human condition. She does not mince words but gets right to the heart of the matter. Aparna is also a strong advocate for women’s rights in India and around the world. Right now, two of her books are available on Amazon.com:
This collection of stories offers valuable life lessons for children and teenagers alike. Aparna covers many topics: cheating on exams, rude behavior towards family, making healthy decisions, coping with harmful friends, bullying, indifference to school, kindness to animals, and others. My favorite story is “Trapped inside a Smartphone” because it is clever, well-written, and thought-provoking. If your child enjoys reading books about other countries and cultures, he or she will find this book highly enjoyable.
Excerpt:
“A maze of wires surrounded him from all the sides. He was lying beside a giant motherboard. The place was air-conditioned. He almost started shivering. He looked around for his family, but couldn’t spot anyone. ‘Can you hear me, mom? Where are you, daddy?’ he screamed his lungs out, panicking. . .”
Aparna writes from the heart in this fine collection of poems. With honesty and openness, she speaks about the loss of friends, her father, and honor and compassion in the world. She fiercely advocates for herself, her daughter, and all women around the world in their struggle for freedom, dignity, and respect. Her hopes and dreams form the foundation of her writing. In spite of the crushing injustices she sees around her, she conveys a spirit of hope that the world can be a better place.
“Is it my dream? Are you really visible to my eyes?
Thirty long years have passed since we met each other.
Now we are chatting over a video call.
What a wonderful surprise! . . .”
~
“Why should women observe silence?
Why shouldn’t they raise voice against domestic violence?
Why should they submit to male chauvinism?
Why shouldn’t they protect their feminism? . . .”
~
“I thank you, Mother Nature, for supporting all forms of life.
You tolerate our misdeeds with a smile while we are busy with the knife.
I thank you, Mother Earth, for enabling us to live.
We have hurt you in many ways; yet, you always forgive . . .”
~
“Let’s tread carefully on this dangerous path of life forever.
These roads are sometimes narrow and slippery.
Let’s try not to lose our balance to their treachery . . .”
Bartholomew is one of the organizers of Living Poetry in North Carolina. Since he is also a food and wine aficionado, it is not surprising that he wrote a poetry book about food. What surprised me is what a great little book it is! His poems are witty, analytical, and chock full of delightful morsels about dining and the things we consume. You will not find any anorexic rejection of edibles here. Bartholomew is absolutely shameless in his love of food. And that’s what makes this book such a wonderful read and a delicious gift for other food-a-holics.
“Cold long nights
are best spent cuddled
with macaroni and cheese.”
Who can argue with that?
“Tomatoes
Firm as your breasts
Red as your lips
On a night out
Drenched in Merlot.”
Believe me, I will never look at tomatoes in the same way again! And finally –
“I want to die fat and happy
I want to meet my chiligod
With a milkshake in my hand.”
I know a lot of chili lovers who would agree with that!
The Salty River Bleeds by Stephen Page (2019). Available on Amazon.com.
Stephen Page is an award-winning author whose work has appeared in numerous publications. In this unique collection, he uses poetry and poetic prose to create a realistic portrait of life on an Argentinian ranch. The ranch, its owners, and caretakers, are all fictitious; but Stephen writes with authenticity and conviction. For him, the story is real, from the ambivalent feelings of the owner about leaving the city and isolating out in the countryside; to the lazy, conniving employees; to dealing with bad hombres like cattle rustlers and horse thieves; to birthing calves, riding horses, and watching the crops grow. He expresses concerns about rain and drought; the effects of pesticides on the land; the annoying insects; mechanical issues; and constant repairs on the ranch. The owner’s frustration comes through loud and clear. Life is difficult. But it’s the raw beauty of nature that keeps him going. He has his family to provide for and a loving wife to lean on. In the end, the struggles seem to be all worthwhile.
Monochrome: Poetry from the Ashes by Paula Light (2018). Available on Amazon.com.
Paula is a California poet whose poetry collection is a delight to read. She writes with a gentle hand. Her poems are like butterflies which attract us with rich colors, feather-weight movements, velvety textures, and delicate wings. She explores the nature of love, loss, sadness, and acceptance with profound understanding and peace. At the same time, she has a sharp wit and approaches life with humor and positivity. When you read her WordPress blog, you will experience both sides of this very talented woman.
Let’s Talk Bride: A Poetry Collection by Lamittan Minsah (2020). Available on Amazon.com.
Lamittan is a Kenyan poet who has written a collection of poems about a very special person in his life, Apostle Darlan Rukih, also known as the Bride of the Lamb, a minister in the Bride of the Lamb Ministries International.
This book has a fascinating backstory. Darlan Rukih was born a hermaphrodite (someone who is born with both male and female genitalia and characteristics, also known as an intersex person). Since this condition is not accepted in Kenyan culture, Rukih grew up isolated, alienated, and rejected by others. But faith in God and the Lord Jesus Christ helped Rukih to overcome this disability and to serve by helping others. Rukih first married a woman and was blessed with a son. After that relationship failed, Rukih dated a man and got pregnant. Blessed with two children, Rukih is devoted to helping children in need in Kenya. Reference: Mpasho website.
Lamittan’s admiration for the Bride of the Lamb knows no bounds in this fine collection of poems which praise Rukih, God, and His son, Jesus Christ. Lamittan expresses both his joy and his sorrow in these poems:
“There’s beauty walking in Africa,
Traversing a lonely desert –
A damsel formed by the maker
Out of the ribs of Adam, long ago.
There is beauty
Such as one that never was before.”
~
“They nailed our Lord by force.
The heavens roared,
His pain had reached God,
And for a moment,
Darkness covered the firmament
And hid God’s gaze from his son . . .”
Follow Lamittan Minsah on WordPress to read more of his poetry and stories and to learn more about Kenyan culture. His business site, Laminsa Indies, encourages and aids “budding writers, musicians, actors/actresses, self-publishers, photographers, drawing artists, dancers and many other talents from the creative industry.” Check it out!
Woman: Splendor and Sorrowby Gabriela Marie Milton (2021). Available on Amazon.com.
I met Gabriela a year ago, when she was editor for MasticadoresUSA. Impressed by the quality of the poems and prose I read there, I began to submit poems – both old and new – for her consideration. Well, she published them! And I have been following her ever since. It was her kindness and encouragement which prompted me to start writing poetry again after a long hiatus. She inspires me to reach farther and try harder than ever before.
A Pushcart nominee. A #1 Best-Selling Author on Amazon. The 2019 Author of the Year at Spillwords Press. Gabriela has published two books of high caliber poetry, co-authored anthologies, and edited the recent Amazon Best-Seller, Wounds I Healed:The Poetry of Strong Women, which she published with Ingrid Wilson of Experiments in Fiction. She resides in a higher realm of imagination, pulling ideas and images out of the clouds that Wow! the reader and transport him/her to another world. She employs language that is lush, exotic, sensual, and stimulating to all five senses. She is her poetry. Her poetry is her. She pushes the boundaries of creativity and encourages others to do the same. She is poet, teacher, mother, friend, divine goddess of the poetic art form. Many of her themes revolve around the strength, resilience, and beauty of women. She adores children, the magic of childhood, and the blessings of motherhood. And then, there’s Love! — and the perpetual tango between two lovers.
Woman: Splendor and Sorrow is a testament to the hypnotic power of love and its ability to elevate us to the heights of ecstasy or fling us into the burning depths of Hell. Every word is exquisitely crafted:
“each word I write cries on the tunes of spring,
a spring that ends in graveyards and in dreams
the night I abandoned you on that bench and left
snows in my mind the syllable of hell
I wanted to return
I wanted to love you . . .”
Poetry and love are the divine twins that rule Gabriela’s heart:
“Poetry?
Oh, poetry was too good to be read.
We tasted it and ate it with silver spoons.”
Gabriela runs her own publishing house now, Literary Revelations Publishing, which seeks to publish high-quality poetry and fiction that grab the reader unawares and trample down the boundaries of creativity.
Barbara is a retired English teacher (ESL) whose award-winning work has appeared on Spillwords, MasticadoresUSA, and other poetry sites and magazines. Most recently, her poetry appeared in Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women (2022), edited by Gabriela Marie Milton, and a #1 Amazon Bestseller. She currently serves as the editor of MasticadoresUSA.
Penned with heart-felt love, devotion, and pain, this memoir is an honest family portrait that mirrors both the mother and the daughter. The bond between mother and daughter is complex, but Barbara beautifully describes both the comfortable and uncomfortable sides of this relationship. Anybody who has cared for a parent suffering from Alzheimer’s, will relate to Barbara’s experience. Anybody who has missed out on motherhood and lost a child, will find Barbara’s story deeply moving. But there is no self-pity here. She has written about her life with honesty and compassion. She has experienced trauma and heartbreak. But she accepts what life brings and looks hopefully to the future instead of staying shackled to the past. She presents herself as strong, determined, and willing to learn from life’s lessons. She has written a remarkable collection of poems that are powerful in their very simplicity. Whatever trauma and pain you have endured, her poems will edify and uplift you in a positive way. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
In writing about her miscarried child, she says:
“You left my broken womb
as the bloody remains of what
was never to come. I still feel you
in the waves, the flow
of my sacral river – your tears?
Your fears I’ve abandoned you?
No, Honey. No! I’ll never forget you.”
Finally, her experiences with encephalitis and her mother’s Alzheimer’s:
“Not enough that I am
the spitting image of Mom
and her namesake.
We both experienced
a brain injury. The encephalitis
burned away my young memories;
Alzheimer’s, her short-term ones.”
Barbara has been nominated for a Pushcart award for her poem, Mom and I Play Lassos with Our HysterectomyScars, a deeply provocative and sensitive poem which is included in this collection.
Lost in the Hours: A Poetry Collection by River Dixon (2020). Available on Amazon.com.
River is a multi-talented poet, fiction writer, and publisher at Potter’s Grove Press. His fiction leans toward the dark side. But his poetry is honest, raw, straight-shooting, and direct. The first thing you come to realize when you read his poems is that River is a realist, not an idealist. There are few hearts and flowers here. He writes with power, intelligence, profound understanding, and articulate expression. He shares a healthy cynicism about life and the world in general. I like his poetry because he says what many of us are only thinking. He’s not afraid to criticize the status quo:
“While you drown in a shallow pool
Of only three inches of self-worth
They taught you well
How to hold your own head under
And convince you of rainbows
While they blot out the stars
One by one . . .”
His works are also available from Potter’s Grove Press, along with other avant-garde authors.
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