Poetry

Greatness comes in many forms, and as Garrison Keillor demonstrates daily on The Writer's Almanac, the most affecting poems in the canon are in plain English. Third in Keillor's series of anthologies, Good Poems, American Places brings together poems that celebrate the geography and culture that bind us together as a nation. Think of these poems as postcards from the road, by poets who've gotten carried away by a particular place-a town in Kansas, a kitchen window in Nantucket, a Manhattan street, a farm in western Minnesota. Featuring famous poets and brash unknowns alike, the verses in this exhilarating collection prove that the heart can be exalted anywhere in America.

Silver Winner, Focused Topic-Translation, Nautilus Book Awards

"Delicate and tough, a crafted danger, full of wit as well as abandon, Hafiz's lyric is one of the rare mysteries of world literature."
--Coleman Barks, author and translator of The Essential Rumi

I have this gem and it's looking for a beholder

Hafiz of Shiraz (also known as Hafez) remains the most beloved name in all of Persian literature. Indeed, his mystic, lyric poetry is cherished as one of the great achievements of world literature, on a par with Dante, Goethe, and Shakespeare.

Hafiz's Little Book of Life is a lush collection of more than 250 selections from his lifework. Also included is a vivid portrait of his life and times, translators' notes, an extensive glossary, a bibliography, and an appendix on Hafiz as an oracle. Here are classic soaring flights of fancy and solid life lessons--made new by two award-winning translators.

This is the perfect introduction to Hafiz for all lovers of poetry and seekers of love, spirituality, and wisdom. Let the unforgettable words of Hafiz shine through you with their love, profundity, wit, and celebration of life.

"This is translation as a real 'carrying-across, ' as art, not artifact . . . this one drops the reader/listener directly into their own soul-struggle. Immerse yourself and be transformed!" --Neil Douglas-Klotz, author of The Sufi Book of Life and A Little Book of Sufi Stories

"From the first page, you are invited to settle into a sublime sanctuary and partake in enchantment until you feel the Beloved inside your beating heart and running through your veins." --Ari Honarvar, author of A Girl Called Rumi

Troubling things are happening at a small town asylum. Trapped in a patient room during a riot, one nurse records what might be her final thoughts-and peers into the minds of her subjects in a series of disturbing stories. Fearing for her life, she desperately waves her hand through the bars of her window hoping someone will notice and help... but by then it may be too late.