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5/15/2017

I'm a bit late on this, but I wanted to send out my thanks to a couple of people who have given me favorable reviews lately.
First, a review of my poem, "Hart Island," which first appeared in ETTT Issue 22, is a part of the article "The Ghostly Verses of the Science Fiction Poetry Association," a review by Michael J. Abolafia in Spectral Realms No. 6. Michael discusses the entire Ghosts issue (edited by Shannon Connor Winward), and had these kind words to say of my poem:

"Holly Lyn Walrath's 'Hart Island' locates revenance in New York City's surely haunted potter's field--the Bronx island is overflowing with spirits, and the ghostly speaker's monologue feels like a plaintive yearning for rest, since, like Charon crossing the river Styx, 'The ferry brings more each day.' This poem exemplifies the spectral potentialities in all places--including on the outskirts of a hyper-urban metropolis."

And more recently, my poem "My City of Ruin" in "The Santa Monica Prophesies: A Collaborative Triptych" is reviewed by Charles Payseur of Quick Sip Reviews. This poem was great fun to write, as it was part of a collaboration with Layla Al-Bedawi and Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, inspired by our trip to the Santa Monica Pier, where we each had our fortunes read by a Zoltar machine.

"... a piece that brings a more urban feel to the shore, that establishes a city and brings with it a people who worship fortune. Again there is the sense of people reaching for something beyond themselves, seeking to fill some lack they can't quite articulate, and falling into patterns t hat are harmful, looking for signs of love that are also signs of destruction. The piece is more concerned with ritual in many ways divorced from meaning, where people try to impress their god without knowing how, without even knowing why, to find in the end that what they are asking for is not really what they want."

Reviewers are so important to the field of poetry, and it's so lovely to have my work engaged with in this way. I'm often surprised by the things other people find in my work and love to hear about them. So, thank you!

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