The Barn And Other Poems

Consisting of fifty barn poems, 50 Barn Poems is an evocative yet accessible sketch of that old barn that haunts the back of your brain. Vague memories of road trips, skateboarding, the ocean, and ping-pong are all reconstructed in the shape of a barn and set on fire. We're not even sure they're poems. Maybe they are just: BARN. Go ahead, take off your shoes and drive off a cliff. The barn awaits.

One might say that Around the Barn is a befitting title for a book written by an author who spent his childhood living out in the country. The old barn was his iconic shelter and headquarters for playing hide-and-seek or cowboys and Indians, among the neatly stacked bales of hay. When chores were done, it was “off to the barn.” The old barn was also a perfect place for solitude, as the author found no quieter place to think and write. This thinking and writing process often resulted in his imagination working into overdrive. He shared his ideas with peers who lived around his neighborhood, and it was surprising how they adapted to his sense of imaginary logic. His ability to demonstrate multiple scenarios was quite remarkable. Also, with all the livestock available as an audience, the hayloft served as a perfect stage. Several decades have passed since then, and the old barn is long gone. The author still maintains fond childhood memories. These memories include riding to school, both to and from, on the school bus that picked him up every day; graduating from school; going into military service during the Vietnam years; attending college; and of course, the loves he made as well as the times his heart was broken. Never has the author forgotten the security of that old barn. When he speaks of the old barn, his eyes brighten up and a huge smile comes to his face. He wishes he could bring back those childhood days in order to prepare for his next production. By using poetry as his vehicle, Walter A. Wheat prods his audience into mental remembrance with reflections that were experienced in his own life. God is referred to many times as a point of reference. As a Vietnam veteran, Walter is able to give an insight into the feelings and emotions of those who have experienced the realities of war. Not without a sense of humor, Walter can also offer a suitable explanation about “how and when that big fish got away.” The poetry that was written in Around the Barn serves as an avenue to cushion those terrible times when life does not go your way. God knows that every day is not a good day. It is the author’s wish that the readers of Around the Barn strive to put their guards down and look for the true meaning of forgiveness. Let’s, all together, try concentrating on the nice things in life. Walter A. Wheat, MA

Tamerlane and Other Poems is the first published work by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The short collection of poems was first published in 1827. Today, it is believed only 12 of approximately 50 copies of the collection still exist. The poems were largely inspired by Lord Byron, including the long title poem "Tamerlane", which depicts a historical conqueror who laments the loss of his first romance. Like much of Poe's future work, the poems in Tamerlane and Other Poems include themes of love, death, and pride.

Come feel the cool and shadowed breeze, come smell your way among the trees, come touch rough bark and leathered leaves: Welcome to the night. Welcome to the night, where mice stir and furry moths flutter. Where snails spiral into shells as orb spiders circle in silk. Where the roots of oak trees recover and repair from their time in the light. Where the porcupette eats delicacies—raspberry leaves!—and coos and sings. Come out to the cool, night wood, and buzz and hoot and howl—but do beware of the great horned owl—for it’s wild and it’s windy way out in the woods!

Down by the Barn features pictures and poems to make you laugh, cry, reminisce, and think. The simple things in life are often the best. Sometimes the challenge is to find them, even though they continually surround us.

What child is this Who is born here Where the oxen Stomp and peer . . . When Christmas in the Barn was first published in 1952, it demonstrated all of Margaret Wise Brown's mastery at skillfully fashioning a truly childlike interpretation of the Nativity story. For this larger, full-color edition, Caldecott Honor artist Diane Goode has created a new tableau of visitors to the barn that will delight generations of new readers.

Paul Chowder is trying to write the introduction to a new anthology of rhyming verse, but he’s having a hard time getting started. The result of his fitful struggles is The Anthologist, Nicholson Baker’s brilliantly funny and exquisite love story about poetry. * * * A New York Times Notable Book, 2009 Favorite Fiction of 2009–Los Angeles Times Best Books of 2009–The Christian Science Monitor Best of 2009–Slate.com "A Year’s Reading" Favorites, 2009–The New Yorker Best Books of 2009–Seattle Times