Life Poetry

Jesus' life is a song that still resonates down through the ages. His deeds and words speak with beauty and mystery, both comforting and confounding us. Who is this man? Over the course of his career, singer-songwriter Michael Card has explored the depths of Scripture by bringing together biblical study and the power of the imagination. Now he sheds light on the life of Jesus through lyrical reflections on the four Gospels. These 40 meditations lead us to a place where Jesus becomes real and we can hear him with both hearts and minds.

Don and Judy Betts are Florida treasures. She was born in Miami and he was born and reared on Longboat Key (parallels the shores of Bradenton down to Sarasota). Each has made significant contributions to their community and their church. She worked in a bank in Sarasota, then - with kids at home - she became a school bus driver, and then a mortgage loan officer. She also became an advocate for abused children, working with the courts, lawyers and parents. He organized a "Night Out" program where parents could bring their children to a church building and leave them for 2 or 3 hours to have ...

Compelling story of the poet John Donne and Anne More’s clandestine courtship, secret marriage and the ensuing consequences of their having broken the conventions of that time. Anne More (born 1584) was a woman ahead of her time who refused to be restricted by the then Laws and conventions relating to marriage. Her father was a wealthy land-owner and member of Parliament and Anne was brought up by his sister, Lady Egerton (the Lord Keeper’s wife) at York House in London. It was at York House where Anne and John conducted their secret love affair, both knowing that John’s meagre ...

Six hours. One marathon swim. That’s all Tully Birch needs to get her life straightened out. With the help of her best friend, Arch, Tully braves the waters of Lake Tahoe to break the record for the youngest person ever to complete the famous “Godfather swim.” She wants to achieve something no one in the world has done, because if she does, maybe, just maybe, her mom will come back.

Last week, I saw a mermaid. It's not something I'd pretend! I'd really like to catch her, so she could be my friend. But how to catch a mermaid? You don't learn this in school. We'll need to build a gentle trap and start near the tide pool. Many claim to have caught a mermaid, but can you? The newest title in the New York Times best-selling How to Catch series will have children and parents excited to see if these characters can actually pull off catching a mermaid!

A poem for anyone who needs it... Life can be a Circus and sometimes we're the clown, try not to trip over foolishness and fall down, remember to stay grounded with your feet firmly on the ground, be sure to smile so you never frown and learn to swim so you never drown.

Based on the electric and historic appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, this poetic book from powerhouse jessica Care moore outlines the dreams of a young girl who wants to change the world one day. Regardless of the obstacles put into place, her crown shines brightly. A love letter to the Black women pioneers of the past and to the next little girl who will one day be crowned, this melodic anthem is a celebration of one woman’s story that will inspire generations to come.

If you want blessings as you live, In goodly measure, learn to give; A kindly life of selflessness Will boomerang to blessedness. Fluent and expressing a keen insight into the complexities of modern-day life, such is the quality and content of Anna Daisy Siemens’ Poetry and Prose. Never trite and overdone, however, the verse possesses a freshness coupled with a candidness that renders it unique. And moreover the underlying theme of the collection as a whole is quite clearly drawn. And that is, beyond the superficial materialism that too many of us pursue as being the ultimate in happiness...

Celina and her family are bilingual and follow both Mexican and American traditions. Celina revels in her Mexican heritage, but once she starts school it feels like the world wants her to erase that part of her identity. Fortunately, she’s got an army of family and three fabulous new friends behind her to fight the ignorance. But it’s her Gramma who’s her biggest inspiration, encouraging Celina to build a shield of joy around herself.

Inside the Stretch of My Heart: From Morning to Night is a companion poetry collection to The Dream of Stairs: A Poem Cycle, which was privately printed as a posthumous memorial volume in 1975, a year after Susan Noble’s untimely death in 1974 at the age of 31. Susan wrote the poems in batches of half a dozen or more, from 1965 onwards, in what she described as manic bursts of creativity, announcing with her typically light-hearted ironic self-depreciation, ‘The muse has struck me!’ But these poems are anything but light-hearted, and even a first reading will reveal clearly that ...

The Dream of Stairs: A Poem Cycle was privately printed as a posthumous memorial volume in 1975, a year after Susan Noble’s untimely death in 1974 at the age of 31. Having announced with typically light-hearted self-depreciation, ‘The muse has struck me!’, Susan wrote the poems in batches of half a dozen or more, from 1965 onwards, in what she described as manic bursts of creativity. But these poems are anything but light-hearted, and even a first reading will reveal clearly that levity is not on the menu in a universe ‘Where there are no jokes / And people do not pretend.’ ...

Following the success of several recent inspirational and practical books for would-be writers, Poemcrazy is a perfect guide for everyone who ever wanted to write a poem but was afraid to try. Writing workshop leader Susan Wooldridge shows how to think, use one's senses, and practice exercises that will make poems more likely to happen.

Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted - they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations. Reha feels disconnected from her mother, or Amma, although their names are linked - Reha means “star” and Punam means “moon” - but they are a universe apart. Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick.

Tom Stodulka has loved to write for many years, though as a child he found this form of expression was a struggle. As the years progressed, through high school and law school, Stodulka gained an appreciation of language and how it could be used as a tool for making a difference. His confidence grew enough to write diaries of his life in the Navy and eventually in 1976, on board the HMAS Duchess, he wrote his first poem, The World and the Future, which features in his first publication, Storm Clouds and Silver Linings; My Journey.

A stunning collection of photos taken by professional photographer, John Boland is accompanied by poems written by his wife, award-winning author of a memoir about childhood abuse titled "No Tears for my Father" and several other books. A couple of the poems in Where Shadows Dance have also won first place in Canadian poetry contests and many have been featured in both magazines and literary publications. Enjoy!

Rosemary O’Brien has been writing since she was 7-years-old, professionally for over 25 years. Begun in a Creative Writing class in senior year of high school, this collection of poetry, or what some would call ‘prose,’ is from years of scratching out her thoughts in her journal and then playing with the words. She writes mostly about nature and feelings and hopes readers will be able to find a few pieces that reach them on a personal level. If you do not find a piece you enjoy at first, read on.

In a dry dusty place where the sand sparkled gold, stood a mighty flat rock—all craggy and old. And under that rock in a tinyful house, lived the littlest, quietest, meekest brown mouse. Fed up of being ignored by the other animals, Mouse wishes he could roar like Lion. But, as he discovers, even the biggest, bossiest people are scared sometimes...and even the smallest creatures can have the heart of a lion!

Rolling through Life chronicles Victor Griggs' reflections from 2019-2021, set against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the solitude of quarantine, intensified by his personal challenges with cerebral palsy, Victor immersed himself in the details, stories, and thoughts he lived with each day.

Over four decades, Carolyn Forché's visionary work has reinvigorated poetry's power to awaken the reader. Her groundbreaking poems have been testimonies, inquiries, and wonderments. They daringly map a territory where poetry asserts our inexhaustible responsibility to each other. Her first new collection in 17 years, In the Lateness of the World is a tenebrous book of crossings, of migrations across oceans and borders but also between the present and the past, life and death.

For the first time ever, 75 beloved songs from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and The Children's Corner are collected in this charming treasury, sure to be cherished by generations of children as well as the millions of adults who grew up with Mister Rogers. The audiobook includes the iconic song "Won't You Be My Neighbor", music and lyrics by Fred Rogers.