Sometimes the author is as fascinating as the book. In the case of the poetry book A Cartography of Peace, I find myself drawn to both poet and poems. Jean L. Connor writes poetry befitting of its title, filled with a peaceful calmness that is lacking in most of our days. Her prose focus on the beauty of a flower, the wisdom of age passed to younger generations, the grace of a winter’s snowfall. As I read each page, I felt my blood pressure come down from my day’s work, and I found myself taking deep breaths as the words restored peace to my soul.

Just as wonderful as her poetry is Jean L. Connor herself, a nearly 89-year-old first-time published author living in a retirement community in Vermont. I have the very great honor of sharing an interview with Ms. Connor, which was done by letter writing, an art I sorely miss in this age of email. Following are the questions and answers we shared. As cannot be done as easily with email, I’ll treasure this letter from a rare and poetic soul.

(e): How long have you been writing poetry?

JC: About 30 years. When I was in grade school a writer was a person who told stories. That would be fun! I had no thought of being a poet. By college years, an English literature major, I aspired to poetry, something wonderful, but somewhere out there, “far beyond”. Not for now… time for a career and “real work”. I deferred the pursuit of poetry until retirement from librarianship, my profession, a profession I found absorbing, worthwhile, satisfying. After retirement I began the pursuit of poetry in earnest, writing, taking workshops, etc. A new world opened.

(e): Do you have plans to publish any more books?

JC: I’m not ready to close a door. The important thing is not a book, but to keep writing, poem by poem…to encourage their coming, to welcome them. I like to think of Stanley Kunitz, his life, his work. Exemplary! So encouraging to an older writer. So humbling.

(e): What keeps you driven to work; to write?

JC: I write because there is joy in writing and discovery, too. There is also a desire to be faithful to a gift given me, no matter if small.

(e): What advice do you have for young poets and writers who dream of being published?

JC: Keep writing. Keep reading. Give the muse your best. Open your work to criticism by fellow writers through workshops, discussion groups. Become acquainted with poets, their work, in your city, state, region. Open your life to things of the spirit, be attentive to the beauty of the created world, savor the riches of silence - then sing!

Published by Passager Press. Look for the upcoming interview with Passager.

What holds people back from reading these days? I hear it all the time: “I love books, but I’m too busy” or, “I used to read, but now with the kids I can’t get much further than the first page.” Whenever I review and give away a book of short stories, I see many similar comments from readers who love shorts because they’re able to get something artistic back into their lives in the small amount of time they’re able to eke out. If you hang out on carp(e) libris reviews, chances are you wish as I do that you had hours of every day to devote to artistic pursuits, whether it be reading or slapping paint on a canvas. But if all you’ve got is a minute or two, all is not lost to you.

A Peculiar Feeling of Restlessness: Four Chapbooks of Short Short Fiction by Four Women is just what the muse doctor ordered. These stories are truly short short; all under 1,000 words each, some no more than a paragraph or two, and each one brilliantly written by one of four highly creative women. This book is divided into four sections or “chapbooks” highlighting the work of one of the writers: Amy L. Clark, Elizabeth Ellen, Kathy Fish, and Claudia Smith. All four were nominated for Rose Metal Press’s first annual short short chapbook contest, Claudia Smith being the winner.

If you like the unusual, if you like to see the mostly unspoken fragments of life brought forth in an uneasy yet entertaining manner, if the art part of your mind is starving for attention, A Peculiar Feeling of Restlessness will bring you brain food in small but fulfilling pieces. These are not wishy-washy shorts, oh no! They cover all the uncomfortable ramblings, the hidden and forbidden fragments that have rammed through most of our lives, either wanted or unwanted but there nonetheless. As a whole, this book pulls us together into a secret sisterhood of “I’ve been there and darned if I didn’t like it either.” If I had to pick one word that describes all these stories, it would be “powerful.” I was fascinated and inspired by how much all four authors were able to fit into each story, as I am sure you will be too.

Now that you’re properly aching for this book, I’ve got one extra copy of A Peculiar Feeling of Restlessness to give away. Enter to win by midnight EST, June 6, 2008.

1.) Leave a comment telling me something about the level of art you’re able to fit into your day, if any. Are you able to read a lot? Do you search for ways to feed your creative brain? (Something more than “I want this book” is kindly suggested.) Here’s your shot at creativity for today; if the randomly chosen winner doesn’t reply to my email telling them they’ve won, I often choose the #2 winner based on their comment.

2.) or Subscribers are automatically entered into this and all future giveaways. Just enter your email address in the little white box on the upper part of the right hand column. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you don’t receive it, check your junk mail.)

3.) or Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back.

Do all three, and you’ve got three entries to win!

In 1961, Tell Me Another Morning was published for the first time. This novel, based on Zdena Berger’s teen years in several concentration camps of Nazi Germany, has been lost to the world for quite sometime. But Paris Press has brought it back, publishing it once again for a new generation of readers.

I think the most fascinating aspect of Tell Me Another Morning is the perspective from which it is told and the author’s ability to show the main character’s gradual loss of innocence throughout her four years of concentration camps. The book begins with an innocent 15-year-old girl living a normal life with her family. At age 16, she and her family are whisked away, sent to the camps, uncertain if there is any future at all for them. I appreciate that Berger assumes you already know the basics of the Holocaust and doesn’t recap things that should be common knowledge. There’s no rehashing of historical facts we all know, and on thinking back, I don’t remember the name “Hitler” being mentioned once. What you will gain is a new and painful look from the viewpoint of a girl the age most of us begin to search for control of our lives–and she has none.

Forget that the book was written 47 years ago–the writing style is fresh and smooth. I like books that have an artistic, almost poetic quality without making you read sentences three times to get it. Tell Me Another Morning doesn’t bog you down, yet it’s full of weighty subject matter. If you’re looking for a great book for your summer reading club, go for this one. There’s even an online study guide to help you. Even without the study guide, no need to worry–you’ll never be short on discussion points! Berger’s book is rich in character and plot, worthy of a resurgence in popularity.

Several years ago, my husband decided to buy me a special unabridged dictionary for Christmas. He headed to a large bookstore chain and asked a young sales clerk for help. When confronted with the task of searching for the dictionary, she seemed confused and headed for the computer to help her find this so very unusual book.

“No,” she said, “we don’t carry those.”

“You don’t carry an unabridged dictionary?” my husband asked in surprise.

Leaning over her computer to take a better look, my husband saw what the sales clerk had typed in: “On a Bridge Dictionary.”

This is why we shop at Schuler Books & Music. I’ve shopped there since childhood, back when there were no large chain bookstores, and it’s still my favorite. They’ve got a wide selection of books, the biggest assortment of magazines and newspapers I’ve seen, and a great cafe. But more importantly, their sales staff is filled with readers who actually know what their talking about. They understand books. And dictionaries.

So you’re not from these parts? No need to fear. This family owned business not only encompasses five of the nation’s largest indie bookstores, they have a wonderful online presence as well, featuring $1 shipping. Schuler Books & Music is providing a $10 gift card to one of you if you’d like to give them a whirl. You’ll enjoy shopping online with them, and you’ll have no problem finding what you’re looking for. They’ve got everything.

Even unabridged dictionaries.

Enter by midnight EST June 1st, 2008.

Three ways to win:

1.) Visit the Schuler Books & Music website. Leave a comment telling me what you like about the site. (Something more than “looks good” is kindly suggested.) Could be a feature of the site, what you found you’d spend the gift certificate on, or a nice little tidbit about the company.

2.) Subscribers are automatically entered into this and all future giveaways. Just enter your email address in the little white box on the upper part of the right hand column. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you don’t receive it, check your junk mail.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back.

Do all three, and you’ve got three entries to win!

Part of the Japanese Literature Series by Dalkey Archive Press, The Glass Slipper and Other Stories features World War II era shorts in a setting unique to American readers. In fact, of the three from this series I’ve reviewed so far, this one is my favorite due not only to the setting, but the contemporary flow that allows the reader to easily place themselves in the position of every protagonist.

Narrators of each story grapple with honesty, both in relationship to others and within themselves. While this is a theme most authors visit at some point in their writing, Shotaro Yasuoka set these shorts against a backdrop of a warring Japan, giving a flavor to this book that is anything but ordinary. The writing style and translation is so smooth and comfortable, English readers will forget the book was originally written in Japanese. These same readers can also expect to learn more about behind-the-scenes WWII Japan than any of their U.S. school history books ever put forth; and I guarantee it’s a lot more fun than sitting in Mr. Johnson’s World History class!

Other books reviewed here from Dalkey Archive Press’ Japanese Literature Series:
The Budding Tree
The Temple of the Wild Geese and The Bamboo Dolls of Echizen

I strive to share unique books with you and this time there’s no doubt I’m about to succeed. Improvise in the Amen Corner is a book of poetry and art unlike any you’ve ever seen. Larnell Custis Butler writes her prose about the African American community in her church, her town, her family. Each poem tells about one fascinating character coupled with a portrait drawn by the author. The portraits are unique in that they have been drawn using sticks and twigs which the author collects from the park across the street from her Virginia home. She sharpens each stick and dips them in India ink, creating shadows with wet paper towel. Don’t let the process fool you–these are works with plenty of artistic merit, and the media she uses lends just the right effect to her poetry. I’d happily hang one on my wall. Even the font is creative, based on Larnell Custis Butler’s own handwriting, giving you the sense you’re reading her own personal notebooks.

The people in Larnell’s life are not wealthy; they struggle to make ends meet, and some of them do that with grace while others take the wrong path, only adding pain to their already difficult lives. This is not to say the poetry is depressing, not by any means. Throughout the book, readers will gain a feeling of hope and community. One gets an intimate and unique glimpse into Larnell Custis Butler’s world. As for me, I’d love to sit myself down in The Amen Corner and get to know the people better.

Beautifully simple language drives the heartache into the one who picks up The Bosnian Elegies. The words form short and powerful phrases, catching the reader and painting how it was to have life pulled apart as Yugoslavia was dismembered.

Adrian Oktenberg’s poetry is painful to read because it is so heartfelt and real. It is as if one gains more of a sense of who the people are who have gone through the atrocities we’ve all seen on the news, most of us lacking a real understanding of what happened on the human level. I’ve spoken with Bosnians in my hometown, heard some of their own horrific stories of losing family members, their homes, their towns. Even so, Oktenerg’s descriptions through her poetry made the tragic events of the former Yugoslavia so much more real to me than ever before. She covers a side of the events the news media never seemed to capture. Her prose remind the reader that there are lives not much different than our own that were so brutally disrupted and shattered, never to be put back the way they once were.

Oktenberg has won an Astraea Emerging Writers Award and a Barbara Deming Award.

I hope you’ll excuse my brief absence. I was taking my leisure with some skunk. Skunk A Love Story, that is. When I first stumbled upon this book, I was immediately taken in by the premise: A man, obsessed by the odor of skunks, falls in love with a woman equally obsessed with fish. While the storyline definitely got my attention, I couldn’t help but wonder–could Courter pull it off through an entire book? After all, the story was originally published as a short. I had a hard time imagining it going any further than a few chapters. But I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Skunk A Love Story is a whirl of imagination and one-of-a-kind humor. I spent much of my reading time laughing out loud and then rereading the portion of text to laugh some more. While the premise may seem completely unbelievable and a rather tall tale when told in summary, the way in which the book is written will have any reader buying it hook, line, and sinker. Another big surprise? Skunk’s plot line takes several drastic turns, and I’d love to tell you what happens but I won’t be a stinker. I’ve seen many books fall flat when the author decides to rip the protagonist out of his comfy setting and plunk him somewhere totally unexpected. But Courter makes these transitions brilliantly without leaving the reader straining to find his way back into the groove.

I am pleased to bestow the great and not-yet coveted Goldfish Award on this most worthy of books. Skunk will make for fantastic summer reading. Sarcastic humor, unusual story line, and the only thing fluffy about it are those cute black and white critters. You’ll want to breathe this one in and savor it as I did. So here’s your chance. I have one copy to give away to a lucky reader.

3 Ways to Enter:

1.) Leave a comment telling me something you’re really hooked on. I’ll go first - I admit to liking the smell of skunk. Yes, I am a skunk sniffer, but only at a distance. I’ve never had one as a pet, but I knew someone who did and I was jealous. Don’t tell anyone, please. It’s rather embarrassing.

2.) Subscribers are automatically entered into this and all future giveaways. Just plunk your email address in the little white box on the right column. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you don’t receive it, check your junk mail.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post.

Do all three, and you’ve got three entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Wednesday, May 21, 2008, to enter.

***Read the first three chapters of Skunk A Love Story online. This book is available in June from Omnidawn.

If you’re searching for a book of poetry that is both beautiful to read and expanding to the mind, The Logan Topographies delivers on both counts. In a rhythmical and flowing voice, this poetry collection describes a West Virginian mining town and the difficulties to the ethnic groups who make their living in coal mining. Alena Hairston’s debut poetry book, divided into four distinct sections, reflects the devastating effects the evolving coal industry has on both the environment and the people of Logan.

With such a long and difficult history behind it, I wanted to know more about The Logan Topographies, so I asked author Alena Hairston a few questions about her award-winning work (winner 2006 Lexi Rudnitsky Poetry Prize):

(e): Your poetry has a unique and worthy theme. Can you tell us a little more about that?

AH: Presently, West Virginia and other Appalachian states such as Kentucky, Virginia, and Ohio are suffering and struggling against government/corporate-sanctioned mountaintop removal schemes (the latest, most disastrous form of mining) that are a total insult to the integrity of the communities and environments in which the mines are located. Much has been said about this issue (though, to my mind, not enough). A recent interview between Amy Goodman, co-anchor of the excellent “Democracy Now,” and Ed Wiley, a West Virginian activist, gives a poignant overview of the issue. The link is here:

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/4/29/west_virginia_grandfather_takes_on_the

The city of Logan has been impacted by this process and by the historical rapaciousness of the coal mining industry in general. This history explains the nature of the people, their beauty, poverty, frailties, and so on. While I am not a native Loganian, I lived there during my formative years (13-17) and was greatly influenced by the culture.
While my book does not seek to necessarily speak for this history or to completely fictionalize it, I did intend for the complexities of the area, its history and culture, to undergird the various stories within the book. West Viriginia has a mythic aura and I wanted the poems to represent this by virture of the themes, technical strategies, and overall approach of the book.

(e): I love the rhythm of your writing. Do you have to do a lot of rewrites to achieve that, or is it something that comes naturally?

AH: Thank you. No. I don’t do much rewriting. But I wait sometimes. The rhythm is “natural” I think. I like the mathematics of the line, the constriction of the page layout, syllabics, meter. I believe that I am both consciously and unconsciously “aware” of this as I write, even in notes.

(e): That’s a rare talent. I often find the most flowing writing has gone through many rewrites to appear effortless. I think you just made a lot of writers jealous! Are you working on any new projects that we can keep an eye out for?

AH: Yes! But, if I just didn’t have to work work. I am trying to finish a poetic novel — a novel in poems or poem-like vignettes. And I’d like to finish a screenplay. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and so the cost of living is quite steep. Teaching tends to keep me from writing. But, soon, I’ve a month long break, and I plan to write all day every day.

(e): Thanks, Alena! Keep us posted on your new work. I’d love to read it when it comes out.

If you’re looking to escape the daily grind and relax on an exotic getaway, then you may not want to travel with Tamara Sheward. Her travelogue Bad Karma (Confessions of a Reckless Traveller in Southeast Asia) recounts her adventures with her best friend El. These two cocky anti-Birkenstockers manage to plant themselves into a variety of bizarre situations in every village and city they enter. Little to no traveling plans, shoddy tour guide books, and edgy attitudes may not provide for a relaxing vacation, but it sure makes for one heck of a fun read.

As Tamara and El ramble through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, readers will cringe as they foresee problems the travelers didn’t. Customs are accidentally stepped on (never leave your chopsticks standing straight up in your rice bowl) throughout the book. Tamara and El are well-seasoned backpackers, and while they’ve left their homeland of Australia on journeys many times before, they’ve never been to the foreign lands of Southeast Asia, and they find it’s a whole different world than what they’ve ever experienced before.

I love to travel, but I’m a serious researcher. I’ll read up on every little thing I can get my hands on (surprised?) before setting foot outside my country. That’s probably what made reading Bad Karma such an entertaining toe-curler. If I ever get the chance to travel to Southeast Asia, I’ll take this book along as a guide on how to avoid botched travel plans. It can double as an entertaining read when my Fodor’s just won’t do.

So if you’re ready to hop on a rickshaw and careen through the streets of Cambodia with Tamara and her friend El, I have an extra copy of Bad Karma to give away. You have until midnight May 12, 2008. Happy Trails!

3 Ways to Enter:

1.) Leave a comment telling me what interests you about the book. (Something more than “sounds good” is kindly suggested.) Or tell me YOUR travel horror story!

2.) Subscribers are automatically entered into this and all future giveaways. Just enter your email address in the little white box on the upper part of the right hand column. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you don’t receive it, check your junk mail.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back.

Do all three, and you’ve got three entries to win!