Philip Kenney’s “Where Roses Bloom”

Where Roses Bloom, Philip Kenney’s recent book of poetry, is an impressive body of work, especially when the poet’s novel, Radiance, is included in any consideration of the author’s output. The title might suggest sentimentality in his approach. “Roses,” as a word, has many connotations. But do not be misled. Kenney’s work is fresh, challenging,…

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Poet Robert Lax – Michael N. McGregor’s Powerful Biography

Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax by Michael N. McGregor is a powerful biography of a poet who only recently has been recognized for his contributions to the evolution of contemporary poetry. The book succeeds on several levels. Lax was born to immigrant parents in Olean, New York in 1915. The middle class…

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Honored with First Place Poetry Award in Literary Festival

On the Same Page Literary Festival in West Jefferson, NC, concluded Saturday, September 29th after a session in the Jefferson County Library during which the finalists in the festival poetry, non-fiction and fiction contests read their pieces. I was very pleased that my entry in the poetry contest was awarded first place, even more so…

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Christmas Once Again. An Agnostic Salute to Its Passing

#christmas  #agnostic Agnostics can rejoice at Christmas. Christmas is one brief period of the year when Christians at least pay lip service to establishing peace on earth. They do it, of course, against a backdrop of carnage in the Middle East where life for the ordinary citizens in several countries is a never-ending nightmare, where…

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Autumn is Solemn — A Poem

  The colors are past their peak in the Blue Ridge of North Carolina. Yesterday the wind and rain began stripping the trees of their leaves. They swirl down to earth, some stem first like a bather testing pool water with one foot. Others drop like a hand, palm up—resigned. Some glide in a dance…

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Eulogy for Nickie. When We Grieve the Passing of a Pet

#petcate  #deathofpet  #pet eulogy On Christmas morning, 1990, my wife entered the room with her present for me—Nickie, a beautiful black Persian kitten who lived with us as part of our family for nearly 18 years. He was a wonderful pet. To grieve his passing, I expressed my feelings of loss in a poem.                       …

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