Views and Mechanics Publisher's Note Memories of the Body Broken Review of Ambition Is Not a Dirty Word Review of The Blood of Flowers Review of The Girl Who Stopped Swimming Review of The Poet Laureate of People Who Hate Poetry Creative Nonfiction My Boo Radley By Rebecca Ward A Walk in the Park By Madonna Dries Christensen Poetry Hearts and Diamonds By Andrena Zawinski It Was Then I Kissed Her By Andrena Zawinski In By Andrena Zawinski Death of Word By Tony Brown Fiction Being Caught Up With My Ego By David Landrum A Voice In My Head Screamed By J. A. Tyler About the Contributors © 2008, River Walk Journal and respective authors and artists. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission. River Walk Journal, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman - Elizabeth Ross Vice Chairman - Joseph Koch Secretary/Treasurer - Geri Stock-Ross Editorial Director - Patti Kurtz, DA Literacy Director - Kenneth Weiss, Ed.D Policy Director - PA State Rep. Jess Stairs Advisory Board Chairman - Patti Kurtz, DA Asst. Chairman - Dan Lachenman, PhD Samuel Hazo Christopher Leland Edwin Yoder Joseph Bathanti Journal Staff Publisher - Elizabeth Ross Editor-In-Chief - Joseph Koch Senior Editor - Patti Kurtz Editor - Elizabeth Murray Copyeditor - Kathy Skaggs Publicity Director (PA) - Geri Stock-Ross For information about submissions, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/subs.html. Questions about promotions, subscribers' services, and advertising should be sent to publisher@riverwalkjournal.org. River Walk Journal, Inc. is a non-profit corporation run entirely by volunteers. For information about volunteer opportunities and internships, visit VolunteerMatch. |
Review of The Poet Laureate of People Who Hate Poetry By Kathy Skaggs ISBN: 978-0-0700560-0-3 Women’s voices in poetry have often been lauded for their diversity and ability to grasp the importance of the little things in life. Kathy Skaggs offers readers a collection of verses (and a little prose) that illustrate the many facets of womanhood in The Poet Laureate of People Who Hate Poetry. From some playful advice on growing un-young gracefully in “Advice to Middle-Aged Women Poets”, to the short essay “Advice to an Aspiring Writer”, Skaggs offers gems of great value to writers in all stages of development. From the first, “The night before a poetry reading don’t stay up till 3 a.m./fighting with your boyfriend…” although seemingly trivial, is an issue of great importance to any middle-aged woman poet concerned even a little bit with her appearance. “Sometimes you have to Write your way through a lot of junk to get to the good stuff, but if you keep Writing and if you stay honest with yourself, you will get there, or not, but either way, you will be a Writer.” That statement from “Advice to an Aspiring Writer” is an absolute truth for any person desiring to consider herself a writer. “The Woman I Am” is a series of statements that could be used to describe many different women, and suggests that every woman has a little of all others within her. Skaggs further shows the collective nature of people in “The Difference One Person Makes”, devoting a line – or more – to the various people who helped her along the way. The Poet Laureate of People Who Hate Poetry is an engaging collection of works that would easily find a home in Contemporary (Women’s) Poetry or Literature courses. Regardless, it is as it advertises – a collection of poems that can easily be enjoyed by even those who despise poetry. |