Six Small Press Poetry Books that Soar

It seems almost impossible to believe, but poetry was once more popular than novels. These days, however, it's increasingly difficult to find publishers willing to take a chance on a collection of poetry. Consequently, some of the best poetry is being published by small presses. Small presses publish both chapbooks and paperbacks. A chapbook is a short book or booklet that typically contains fewer than forty pages of poetry and is typically assembled using cardstock covers and staples. Small presses, however, also produce slick soft cover volumes of poetry that contain sixty or more poems.

As an author, poet, and editor of Ancient Pathsliterary magazine, I often receive complimentary copies of chapbooks and small press poetry collections. Here are six of the best titles that have crossed my desk over the past ten years.

1. Holy Week Sonnets
by Philip Rosenbaum
Posterity Press, 2004

This elegant hardback collection of sonnets is a rare treat. Well-written formal poetry, complete with meter and rhyme, is like a swift breeze of invigorating air in a world that all too often scorns the riches of tradition. And these sonnets are indeed well-written: the alliteration, rhythm, and imagery work together to move the reader to reflection, as he or she embarks on a Holy Week journey from the costly anointing of Christ, through the crucifixion, to the resurrection.

I could name many favorites in this volume, but I will content myself with a few. "A Single Stone" inspires empathy for the often overlooked Martha; "Good Friday, 1987" shows how intellectual confusion can be happily consumed by childlike faith; and "The Signature" reminds us of the beautifully brutal way Christ sealed His contract with us. These are beautiful poems to read aloud, and this is the kind of collection that can bear repeated reading each year during Lent.

2. Mightier Than the Sword?
Poems about the bizzness (and art) of poetry
by David Alpaugh
Small Poetry Press, 2005

This was the most entertaining collection of modern poetry I have read in a very, very long time. Moving? No. Profound? Not particularly. Funny? Absolutely. These clever poems are an enjoyable way to pass the time, and if you are an editor, a poet, or a literary scholar, you will find something to relate to in the pages of this slender volume.

The book itself is a parody on poetry books, with "In Lieu of Blurbery" gracing the back page, a self-published disclaimer on the inside page, and a boilerplate biography to boot. As an editor myself, I especially appreciated "Giving them the Slip," and I found the poet's commentary on USPS postage stamp selection highly amusing. (Yes, that's what I said--USPS postage stamp selection. Just read "Have You Seen the New Poetry Stamp," and you'll know what I mean.)

Yes, there were some poems I simply did not "get." For the most part, however, I found this collection to be an accessible, delightful, intelligent, and witty poetic romp. The book is beautifully designed as well.

3. We Were Not Falling But Rising
by Ida Fasel
Small Poetry Press, © 2006, ISBN 1-891298-25-9

The poems contained in this collection were originally penned as private reflections on the events of September 11th and the political aftermath that ensued. However, the poet's publisher encouraged her to bring the poems to the public, and I for one am glad to have this volume.

Too much poetry inspired by September 11th dedicates itself to political protest and internal finger pointing; We Were Not Falling But Rising, however, calls into question such shrillness and willingness to justify the attacks. "If I were an activist," writes the poet, "I would do away with hyphens / as weapons of assault." She speaks of the "new historians" who "reject greatness for nonentity" and "defend treason as symbolic speech." The poet does not fear being accused of political incorrectness and has no difficulty considering and lamenting the evil of those who would perpetrate such a slaughter or rejoice in it, throwing rocks that were "meant to be cleaned up, cut / and polished." Though the poet longs for peace, she understands it cannot be obtained by one-sided wishful thinking: "Peace like all good things must be fought for."

The poems honor the fallen, the survivors, and the nation's leaders. They radiate with a strong, if occasionally sorrowful, love of country. The imagery is often original and deeply moving.

I have reviewed several collections by Ida Fasel, and I believe this one to be the best. The poems are accessible yet nuanced, and many of them bear repeated reading.

4. Deep Wonder
by Philip C. Kolin
Grey Owl Press, © 2000, ISBN 0-9671901-1-8

This volume of 66 poems is complimented by illustrations from the pen of Christopher J. Pelicano, and the collection is presented in a professional manner. The poems are the result of a bitter inspiration: an unexpected, numbing experience of personal rejection. Broken by the loss of human love, the poet turns to God, directing his love poems at the worthiest of targets, and at the only being capable of wholly selfless love.

Deep Wonders is in one sense highly personal, but this does not mean readers will be unable to relate to it. Anyone who has suffered and turned to God with a newly opened heart will be able to join in the celebration Kolin offers. Kolin's style is somewhat truncated, with very short lines written in free verse. Occasionally, a lack of standard punctuation impedes the otherwise easy flow of the poems, causing the reader to temporarily pause in order to gather the meaning.

Nevertheless, Kolin's poetry has the rare quality of being accessible without being simplistic. There is no academic pretension displayed here, no convoluted or irrational comparisons. The imagery is powerfully concise and always appropriate. Alliteration is employed frequently but subtly.

5. Lion Sun
by Pavel Chichikov
Grey Owl Press, © 1999

In Lion Sun, the poet's use of traditional devices such as rhyme, meter, alliteration, and anaphora is consistent and non-obtrusive, lending much needed form to the substance. God is sometimes in the forefront of these poems, sometimes subtly resting in the background, and Christ's crucifixion is a frequent subject of meditation for the poet. The themes expressed are largely universal, though hardly trite. Lion Sun provides a much need break from the typical, personalized, self-centered poetry of modern times. As I read the collection, there were times when I was reminded of William Blake's Songs.

The beautifully designed volume contains 74 poems as well as several illustrations by Eric Young. As with any large volume of poetry, the quality of the individual poems is varied. Some particularly good works in this volume include "The Secret," "Mother and Child," "Craving," "The Voice," and "Empty Church."

6. The Geography of Prayer
by Donna Farley
Skysong Press, © 1999

Donna Farley presents a collection of poems that range from the invitingly accessible to the almost-esoteric, from the charmingly sentimental to the deeply pensive. The nineteen works in this chapbook are divided into five sections centered around the vital components of prayer: meditation, confession, intercession, supplication, and praise. Each poem is well placed in an appropriate section. The printing is simple yet attractive. This slender volume has a number of truly excellent poems, and only very occasionally will the reader encounter anything like the sense of pretension that so often prevails in modern poetry today.

Although the majority of poems in this book would be best classified as free verse, the poet is not afraid to employ traditional forms (such as haiku) or to make use of rhyme, which she does in an unobtrusive way that enhances her poems. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to find well-crafted traditional poetry in today's world, but at least three such poems are included in The Geography of Prayer: "Mary of Egypt," "Unseen Art"' and "Bell Song."

For more small press reviews, both favorable and unfavorable, visit the Small Press Poetry Book Reviews section of my website.