POETRY

Prague Baroque

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Patrick Deely’s meticulous description of Prague, the capital of Bohemia, as it casts its Babylonian—as he has it in Prague Baroque—“Gross statues of saints spear demons which look reptilian” with the grotesque and scenes of European decay seeking repentance.

Patrick Deeley | The Lake

Faux-jour

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Ann Power’s magical cascade into the psychology of desire is undoubtedly worth a read. This poem punches home with the razzle-dazzle, and keeps the reader guessing the whole way through. Power is Glück after a line of pixie dust, and that is a steep compliment, though one I administer whole heartedly.

Ann Power | The Dillydoun Review

Poets Against AI

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Poets Against AI is a movement to abolish the use of AI in poetry, and for poets, editors, and publishers have transparency when AI is employed to create content. Pledge not to use AI in poetry by contacting Poets Against AI.

POETS AGAINST AI | ET AL.

Home

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Samantha Padgett’s portrait of paternal neglect is as heart-rending as it is inventive. The suburban pastoral contrasted with domestic distress has always made for great verse, but Padgett builds upon the tradition with her horrific eloquence. A poem’s greatest compliment shall always be another poet’s envy, and one cannot help coveting Padgett’s talents.

Samantha Padgett | Driftwood Press

Apex Predator

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Reflexive and raw, Natalie E. Illum tears out her throat and lets the wounds speak. Her verse smiles up from the depths and ambushes the reader from below, blurring the lines between poem and death threat with a voice that lusts for blood.

Natalie E. Illum | Passangers Journal

The Woods in November of a Difficult Year

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Ginny Lowe Conners captures pandemic era chaos in the most unusual of settings; the woods. Yet this tranquil place is perfect for displaying the personal struggles that plagued our nation in a year of plague, divisive politics, and civil unrest. No, this is not a “pandemic poem”, this is a whisper of the human experience, a heart grappling with a world of mayhem.

Ginny Lowe Connors | Heart (Nostalgia Press)