Sparks

Delta Eddy

Sparks

$17.95 – Purchase online

Full disclosure: I knew Delta Eddy when she was Gary. The dedicatee of her elegy “Student,” Anthony Piccione (d. 2001), who is a central presence in Sparks, was an English Department colleague and close friend of mine. Delta writes, “I keep / walking toward my teacher’s home. He’s moved deeper into the woods, his poems crows / flying silent among bare trees.” And by way of this book, it’s as though Tony—I believe I can speak for him—and I are now in turn walking into our student’s house where we are feeling Emerson’s “perpetual revelation” by way of startling observation, concentrated voice, earned statements and leaps. But more: by way of Eddy’s imaginative power toward primal intelligence that questions everything but hopes, in the end, in part by way of poetry, to be of spiritual use, even as we “Dispose of ashes thus: / Everybody gets a cupful to spill / in their doorways on their icy steps” … Cosmic sparks to earthly flames to ashes, this breakthrough book will keep giving of itself to us, merging with us, as its strong and surprising and riveting poems keep realizing that “there is no soul / in birds or grass or me that is a separate thing.”  William Heyen, National Book Award Finalist, author of Nature: Selected & New Poems 1970-2020


These are poems from the earth and sky and they rise from a spirit that has moved mountains with a lifetime devotion to poetry. Delta Eddy’s vision is far reaching because what she sees brings us closer to the truths we carry in our lives. We turn to these poems because they not only sustain us through the music of faith but, they remind us of what the great poet Pablo Neruda once declared, “Poetry is power.”  Ray Gonzalez, author of Beautiful Wall and Feel Puma


Anchored in the earthly world, Delta Eddy’s poems are Orphic excavations that explore the subliminal, then arise to contemplate the heavens. These poems touch on the Biblical and Classical world of our forebearers but move into our contemporary world to ask our oldest question: “why?”

Ranging from “Why the Shakers Didn’t Write Poetry,” an ars poetica about poetry’s consolations in a difficult world, to lyric appreciation in “Why I Love Slimy Texas Blues,” Eddy’s images reverbate: “guitar licks pointy enough/to kill the roaches in the corners.”

“The Moment the Lightning” fuses the Biblical, the ecstatic, and the natural world in one brilliant lyric gasp.

Sparks looks back on a life of reading and writing with a longing for that early “hunger/for poetry.” The poems are a tender commentary on long relationships—familial and artistic––and though they address our attenuated attentions, Eddy reminds us of the poetic impulse to reach beyond ourselves.  Sparks is a marvelous collection.  Elizabeth Oness, author of Fallibility and Leaving Milan

Arguments & Negotiations & All that Matters

Pixie Beadrin Youngdahl Urista

In memoriam – Pixie passed in August 2018

This expanded edition of Pixie Youngdahl’s 2013 cancer survivor’s memoir includes Legacy Letters to ancestors as well as family photos.

“Pixie Youngdahl, the author of The Timeless Café, now takes you down her own personal journey of dealing with cancer. Like she tackles everything else in life, Pixie knocks cancer on its ass. Hard to do, and even harder to be successful, Pixie masters a firsthand experience of dealing with the effects of chemotherapy using humor and charm. For anyone going through chemo, if you need a major attitude adjustment from life ~ this is a must read.” David Fingerman author of Edging Past Reality and Two Degrees Closer to Hell

Eye Shadow – Personal Essays

Emilio DeGrazia

   Emilio DeGrazia is one of those writers who loves the ambience of a writers’ gathering––the fraternity, the probing of ideas––whether the subject is poetry or the jock strap empire of sports. What I can tell you is that not many people I’ve read, whether in Minnesota or beyond, write of the human condition with the same mixture of discovery, forgiveness and judgment that Emilio brings from his study. Years ago a small group of us, at the prodding of the toastmaster, were asked to identify three or four people who would be our choice if we were marooned on a desert highland and had to spend foreseeable months or years listening to each other. My first choice was Emilio. I never tire of hearing what this man has to say about the humanity around him. —Jim Klobuchar, Author and retired columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Amazon Reviews—

Avid Reader writes: Ramblings. This short story collection is loosely grouped in eight categories: American Dreams, True Stories, Human Nature, College Education. Embracing Technology, Military Intelligence, Jock Strappings, and Moral Compass. Each category contains a definition and several stories regarding one aspect of the definition. Like any collection, some readers will like some stories more than others will. One unexpected delight is the artwork provided for one of the stories.

Home is a Place Worth Burying

Haley Thompson

$10.50 – Buy a print copy online

 

Here is what acclaimed poet Dora Malech, author of Shore Ordered Ocean and Say So, has to say about Haley Thompson‘s poetry: Haley’s poems shimmer with the intimacies of memory and place. They weave the consolation of sparkling specificities through the inevitable truths of loss and time. These are poems that enable us to see our yesterdays and our today anew.


Amazon Reviews—

G. Greene says: Fabulous! Ms Thompson speaks with an authentic voice. This book of poetry is a must read for anyone who enjoys poetry.

Nicole Lockman: Great!! Great book!!! Fun, thoughtful! The title threw me off, but this collection of poems and short stories is pleasantly intriguing!