Given that each book club member brings their own experiences and perceptions of poets with them to the meeting, poetry lends itself to a varied and passionate discussion beyond anything you experience with novels, nonfiction, and other genres. Where someone may see passion in the first lines of a poem, another member may see sarcasm. Poetry uses an economy of words to express larger ideas and situations to the reader, and through book club discussion one or more of these can be revealed. Each of these poetry collections will lend themselves to group discussions of emotion, imagery, and over-arching societal themes of acceptance, dissension, and inner strength and beauty.
by Jose Gouveia
These poems will appeal to not only deep thinkers, but also readers looking for detailed aesthetics. While most of us will never know what it's like to be hounded by cops, some of these poems will allow readers to live the biker life vicariously.
by Jeannine Hall Gailey
A unique volume of poetry housing poems steeped in Greek mythology, comic book characters, and more. Gailey's images are crisp and immediate, examining the evolution of female characters from innocent girls to darker, vengeful women, but these characters are deeper than stereotypical comic book characters, mothers, and goddesses.
by Hilda Stern Cohen
A collection of photographs, essays, stories, snippets of interviews, and poems detailing Cohen's experiences during WWII and the Holocaust as a German resident. Her keen eye examines the impact of starvation on her fellow neighbors and on her family members, and it also sheds light on how well her family and herself cope with their situation, almost as if she is reporting the events as she observed them.
by Hilda Schiff
Each poem in the collection uses all-too-familiar images to demonstrate connections with family, friends, and strangers. As each poem unfolds, readers will feel the devastation and hopelessness of each narrator. However, there are moments of levity when narrators poke fun at the devastating events of Nazi Germany's actions.
by John Amen, illustrated by Mary Kerr Powers, SymbioticDesign.biz, edited by Stanley H. Barkan
Amen's musical and song writing talents permeate the lines. These are more than rhythmic dances though — his work gradually moves toward a vanishing point. Each poem in this collection tells a story, reflects on a bright memory, and picks these events apart to reveal the truth beneath.
Flashlight Worthy
Recommending books so good, they'll keep you up past your bedtime. more...
About Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Serena's poems can be read in issues of Beginnings Magazine, LYNX, Muse Apprentice Guild, The Harrow, Poems Niederngasse, Avocet, and Pedestal Magazine. Her photos can be seen in All Things Girl and through Pearson Education, her book reviews can be found on Savvy Verse & Wit, and her local literary articles can be found on D.C. Literature Examiner.
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