Noah Cho from Hyphen Magazine applauds the stories of Andrew Lam's Birds of Paradise Lost.-
"Each of the thirteen stories has a distinct tone and flavor….for Lam, that risk of cultural disconnect, of being unable to remember what “home” really means, and the image of America as both refuge and corruptor, is what drives his writing in these stories to great and engrossing effect."
To read the full review, click here.
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Publishers Weekly comments on the remarkable story found in Mary Evelyn Greene's When Rain Hurts.–
"With vivid language and strong imagery, [Greene] describes the harsh deprivations characteristic of Russia's orphanages, the incompetence of its international adoption agency, and her frustrated need to be a mother….[Readers] will find in Peter's story fertile suggestions for a public support system capable of addressing the complex problems of formerly institutionalized children."
To read the full review, click here.
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Check out the August issue of Kirkus to read their take on Mary Evelyn Greene's When Rain Hurts.-
"A searingly candid chronicle of the heroic struggle of two adoptive parents to raise their multiply disabled son…A useful, inspiring cautionary tale for prospective adoptive parents."
Eric Nguyen applauds Birds of Paradise Lost, calling it short stories of "second chances."-
“What is refreshing about Lam’s work is that it defies expectations of ‘immigrant story’…. Lam’s stories are poignant and powerful in the chronicling of not only Vietnamese Americans, but of human frailty and strength as well.”
—Eric Nguyen, diaCRITICS
To read the full review, click here.
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storySouth applauds Brendan Constantine's poetry in Calamity Joe.-
“While the narratives of loss help hold this work together, it’s Constantine’s lyrical touch that keeps the poems engaging…their inventiveness is refreshing and commendable.”
—Shawn Delgado, storySouth
To read the full review, click here.
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Lillian-Yvonne Bertram receives a great review from Rain Taxi.-
Lillian-Yvonne Bertram's But a Storm is Blowing from Paradise locates the human in a large context, vacillating between the cosmic and common …by books end, Bertram assembles a constellation of poetry that will leave readers grateful to have undertaken this 'extragalactic' adventure.
—William Langford, Rain Taxi Review of Books
To read the full review, click here.
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Lillian-Yvonne Bertram’s But a Storm is Blowing From Paradise receives an excellent review from Late Night Library.-
"Bertram is beyond fearless in her refusal to make reading simple…[her] work can easily leave you on a precipice, wondering how you will get down safely, but as she writes in “What the Elk Told Me,” '…up is/ mountain down is home and that is how she left me there.'"
— Jean McPhearson, Late Night Library
To read the full review, click here.
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Publishers Weekly praises the "close attention to the texture and sound of language" in the poems found in Tess Taylor's The Forage House.–
"The confessional and historical poems in Taylor’s debut chronicle family history that traces her ancestry to Thomas Jefferson in precisely devised lyrics…Taylor's delight in language keeps the poems fresh and surprising."
To read the full review, click here.
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Hoffert of Library Journal applauds Ron Koertge's The Ogre's Wife–
“A pleasure for any reader; in this collection, ‘the straw of the day, bushel after bushel of it, slowly/ turns to gold.’”
—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal
To read more, see the upcoming July issue.
James A. Cox from Midwest Book Review recommends The Earth Is Not Flat by Katharine Coles to readers of poetry.-
"With humor and insight, The Earth Is Not Flat is a worthy addition to contemporary poetry collections…"
Douglas Lord from Library Journal adds John Van Kirk's Song for Chance to his BEA "Books for Dudes" list.-
"Debut novelist Van Kirk delivers the highly authentic story of melancholy, aging keyboardist Jack Voss…Reminiscent of Robert Stone’s works (e.g. Outerbridge Reach etc), Van Kirk’s is a reflective story of how manly 'maturity' happens."
To read the full review, click here.
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Doris Lynch discusses her take on Tess Taylor's The Forage House.
“This first collection reveals a poet with a fully formed voice and involving subject matter…the genealogy she presents provides a rare view of our history, deepened with mystery.”
—Doris Lynch
To read more, click here.
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Linda Rodriguez Writes applauds Vera's new work, Speaking Wiri Wiri:
“Full of longing and bittersweet humor, these poems are lyrical, narrative, poignant, and always powerful…Vera has given us a true portrait of the confused and often contradictory place that is modern America.”
—Linda Rodriguez, Linda Rodriguez Writes
To see the full review, click here.
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Boom Journal outlines the merits of Lam's collection of short stories:
"His own voice is a true gift to California and the world . Lams fiction weaves the pitch-perfect perceptiveness of his nonfiction, with slightly cracked characters all the more believable for their idiosyncrasies, and a touch of magical realism."
—Jon Christensen, Boom: A Journal of California
Read more here.
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Ralph Pennel from Rain Taxi Review of Books praises Rodney Wittwer's Gone & Gone.-
"Gone & Gone both transports and transforms. It forces us to take pause from our every attempt to manifest consciousness into the image we desire the history of our lives to assume. And it succeeds triumphantly in doing so."
To read the full review, click here.
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