Silly poems about creatures who live in surf and beachy sun. And a field day trip for children wanting laughter and good fun.

Ruth Stone has always eschewed self-promotion and, in the words of Leslie Fiedler, "has never been a member of any school or clique or gaggle of mutual admirers." But her poems speak so vibrantly for her that she cannot be ignored. In her preface to this volume, Sandra M. Gilbert declares that Stone's "intense attention to the ordinary transforms it into (or reveals it as) the extraordinary. Her passionate verses evoke impassioned responses." At the same time, Gilbert continues, the essays collected here "consistently testify to Stone's radical unworldliness, in particular her insouciant contempt for the ' floor walkers and straw bosses' who sometimes seem to control the poetry ' factory' both inside and outside the university." Wendy Barker and Sandra Gilbert have organized the book into three sections: "Knowing Ruth Stone," "A Life of Art," and "Reading Ruth Stone." In "Knowing Ruth Stone," writers of different generations who have known the poet over the years provide memoirs. Noting Stone's singularity, Fiedler points out that "she resists all labels" and is "one of the few contemporaries whom it is possible to think of simply as a ' poet.' " Sharon Olds defines her vitality ("A Ruth Stone poem feels alive in the hands"), and Jan Freeman praises her aesthetic intensity ("Everything in the life of Ruth Stone is integrated with poetry"). "A Life of Art" sketches the outlines of Stone's career and traces her evolution as a poet. Barker and Norman Friedman, for example, trace her development from the "high spirits and elegant craft" of her first volume-- In an Iridescent Time-- through the "deepening shadows," "poignant wit," and "bittersweet meditations" of her later work. In interviews separated by decades (one in the 1970s and one in the 1990s), Sandra Gilbert and Robert Bradley discuss with Stone her own sense of her aesthetic origins and literary growth. "Reading Ruth Stone" is an examination of Stone's key themes and modes. Diane Wakoski and Diana O' Hehir focus on the tragicomic vision that colors much of her work; Kevin Clark and Elyse Blankley explore the political aspects of her poetry; Roger Gilbert analyzes her "often uncannily astute insights into the ' otherness' of other lives"; Janet Lowery and Kandace Brill Lombart draw on the biographical background of Stone's "grief work"; and Sandra Gilbert studies her caritas, her empathic love that redeems pain.

From verse of the past to modern classics, this anthology of poetry has words for every occasion: about youth and age, nature, musings on life and death, wisdom, nonsense, romance and much besides. Each work has been specially chosen to complement the collection.

The poems are a grand mix of serious and crazy—each with genuine praise-for-God intent. They cover quite a range of themes. Nature, science, psychology, and even politics are scrutinized. Keep your vocabulary sharp and your imagination intact. I intended this work to boost your faith and increase your love of God. I believe God has a marvelous sense of humor; hopefully yours will be activated as you partake of these cheerful expressions of appreciation for Jesus. The pictures are from original watercolor paintings I have done, each extols the natural handiwork of God!

In Digital Poetics, Loss Glazier argues that the increase in computer technology and accessibility, specifically the World Wide Web, has created a new and viable place for the writing and dissemination of poetry. Glazier's work not only introduces the reader to the current state of electronic writing but also outlines the historical and technical contexts out of which electronic poetry has emerged and demonstrates some of the possibilities of the new medium. Glazier examines three principal forms of electronic textuality: hypertext, visual/kinetic text, and works in programmable media. He considers avantgarde poetics and its relationship to the on-line age, the relationship between web pages and book technology, and the way in which certain kinds of web constructions are in and of themselves a type of writing. With convincing alacrity, Glazier argues that the materiality of electronic writing has changed the idea of writing itself. He concludes that electronic space is the true home of poetry and, in the 20th century, has become the ultimate space of poesis. Digital Poetics will attract a readership of scholars and students interested in contemporary creative writing and the po

Selected as a Children's Poet Laureate Monthly Book Pick, Sea Star Wishes captures the varied and colorful world of our beautiful coastal shores. Discover the wonders of the sea and enjoy a day at the beach in playful and imaginative poetry and illustrations. In these coastal poems for kids, children meet sea lions, starfish, jellyfish, and other animals in the ocean, and dream about sandcastles and other beach activities. This fun, lyrical children's poetry collection by award-winning children's singer and songwriter Eric Ode features lively illustrations by Washington State Book Award recipient Erik Brooks. Sea Star Wishes Do sea stars make wishes on stars of the night and dream that they might be as shiny and bright? And if they make wishes perhaps it could be that fishes make wishes on stars of the sea.

This collection of Japanese fairy tales is the outcome of a suggestion made to me indirectly through a friend by Mr. Andrew Lang. They have been translated from the modern version written by Sadanami Sanjin. These stories are not literal translations, and though the Japanese story and all quaint Japanese expressions have been faithfully preserved, they have been told more with the view to interest young readers of the West than the technical student of folk-lore.... In telling these stories in English I have followed my fancy in adding such touches of local color or description as they seemed to need or as pleased me, and in one or two instances I have gathered in an incident from another version. At all times, among my friends, both young and old, English or American, I have always found eager listeners to the beautiful legends and fairy tales of Japan, and in telling them I have also found that they were still unknown to the vast majority...