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Newest & Forthcoming Titles
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Featured Latest Releases

Graceful Ghost, poetry by Gwendolyn Jensen

Christmas in the Wild, an anthology of short fiction

Homecomings, poetry by Lance Lee, art by Ron Sandford

Irish Eyes, a novel by Peter Rutkoff

Profane Feasts, 13 stories by Tom Tolnay, published by

Scarlet Leaf Publications, Toronto, Canada

GRACEFUL GHOST, by Gwendolyn Jensen, is her third book of poetry from

Birch Brook Press. It was being written while she was also working with

Chiara Frenquellucci to translate works by the distinguished Italian poet

Alda Merini. When it came time for Jensen to complete this book--a narrative

of love, illness, death, and grief, it seemed to her "there were obvious and

natural places to include many of the Merini translations." So the poems

were joined in one book, leaving it to the reader to decide whether or not

this experiment is successful. Clearly Jensen has succeeded not only in

presenting the vivid intimacy of her own poetic vision, as in her poem,

"And When I Bathe You," but in sharing Merini's deft, tough language

with more readers. A stunning letterpress edition with art by Helen Febbo.

56 pages. ISBN: 978-0-9789974-0-3. List price: $20. + $3.50 to pack/ship.

HOMECOMINGS, by Lance Lee. His sixth collection of poetry

touches the full breadth of human emotions and behavior

in the present and the past, with a special section in which

the author considers ancient Greece--including a selection of

drawings of classic vases by English artist Ron Sandford; a

section titled Into the Woods where Lee experiences poetically

the Weston Woods, Cape Cod Woods, Pacific Woods, English

Woods; and Laments & Celebrations which faces the natural

world intimately. 120 pages of crisp, intelligent poetry, with

six original artworks. "This volume is a threnody reflecting

a meditative stance on a world that was, and, in each poem,

like a great bell, on the world that still remains. Mr. Lee has

gained a three-dimensional depth of this world..." List price:

$19.00, plus 4.50 handling/shipping=$23.50. Packed securely,

shipped promptly. Payment by major credit cards via PayPal

by calling 607-746-7453. Or by check with your address to

Birch Brook Press, PO Box 81, Delhi NY 13753.

PROFANE FEASTS, by Tom Tolnay, is a sequence of 13 story-

chapters touching on the "racial memories" of a family of Greek

immigrants who settled in Brooklyn NY in the 1970s, with their

love, compassion, and quirks extending to the present. With

humorous intent, a subplot follows the Hestiakos-Dropoulos

family as part of a subconscious effort to revive the greatness

of their ancient culture by taking over North America one

coffee shop, one house of worship, one neighborhood at a

time. The surface storyline is how these individuals--each

story focuses on a particular family member--make their way

as transplanted products of that early culture into the thriving

societies across the Atlantic. Subliminally their lost greatness

makes them feel notable even though they are far removed,

by time and circumstance, from the civilization upon which

the western world was founded. "PROFANE FEASTS, Tolnay's

brilliant third collection, is richly textured, sometimes

hilarious, always as delicious as his feasts. The stories teem

with life. I loved reading them..."--Nick Lyons, Founder-

Publisher of The Lyons Press and author Spring Creek.

203 pages. Trade paper. Published by Scarlet Leaf

Publishing House, Toronto, Canada. $20. plus $3.25

to pack/ship. ISBN: 978-1-979437-45-5.

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AS IF TOWARD BEAUTY, by Gwendolyn Jensen. This volume of

poetry takes the next bold step in the process of establishing

this poet's place among our finest poets in a handsome hybrid

edition with a letterpress-printed cover and offset printed text.

Original art is by Helen Febbo. In addition to striking new poems

by the author of Birthright, this book includes three poems by

German Romantic poet Karoline von Gunderrode, co-translated

by Jensen and Monika Totten. "From these poems the reader

gets a sense of care and conviction..." --Kirby Congdon,

SMALL PRESS REVIEW. 64 pages of stunning poetry set

in Palatino Linotype and printed on 60 lb. soft white vellum.

Softcover list: $18, plus $4 packing/shipping (U.S.) Limited

(100 copies) hardcover edition: $40. plus $6.50 pack/ship.

ISBN: 978-0-9915777-0-5.

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IRISH EYES, a novel by Peter Rutkoff. Brothers Jamie

and Mike, driven apart by social, political, and family

upheavals, are reunited in an upper westside Manhattan

bar known as Irish Eyes, which once had been central to

their lives. This rich and engulfing novel tells the story

of their search for justice on behalf of the downtrodden,

for solace from the Church, and for comfort in the arms

of their women--a story memorably dramatized in 1950s-

60s America. "Rutkoff's evocation of life at this time in

New York, in this very particular place which I thought

I knew, recharged me with old memories and fresh in-

sights..."-Jay Cocks, screenwriter, The Age of Innocence

and Gangs of New York. "This novel merges the fictional

and the actual--the real Irish Eyes pub is still situated

on upper Broadway in NYC, depicting its vast metropolis

setting with humor and a keen eye for the visual..."--

Peter Frost, USA Today. "An impressive literary work

by a skilled writer with the ability to create memorable

characters and embed them into a deftly woven story

that engages the reader from beginning to end...."

--Jack Mason, MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW. "The vibrant

setting, fully developed characters, and compelling

story of growing apart from people you love all come

together to create a powerful and engaging tale..."--

US REVIEW OF BOOKS. Quality trade paperback:

$28. 256 pages. ISBN: 978-09842003-6-8.

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WEATHERING WILDERNESS, by Richard B. Hoffman. This is the

first volume of poetry by this 30-year veteran of the National

Park Service, where he worked as a Senior Planner at the

Interpretive Design Center in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.

His media specialty was wayside (outdoor) exhibits. Projects

took him to India, Iceland, Bulgaria, and Poland, where he

collaborated with those nations' park personnel to develop

prototype visitor centers and interpretive exhibits. Geographically

his poetry is just as far-flung, and reflects his intimate knowledge

of and love for Planet Earth. "To stay on the same subject makes

this a tour de force, especially for a first collection. I admired the

handsome use of language that gets beyond being original or

clever..."--Kirby Congdon, SMALL PRESS REVIEW. "Read this book

cover to cover or pick a poem at random and you won't be

disappointed... His lines dazzle with originality..."--Michael Miller,

author of Into this World. 64 pages of lush, crisp poetry, featuring

a cover oil painting by Heidi Hahn. $18. + shipping/packing.

ISBN: 97809842003-8-2.

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TRANSFORMATIONS, by Lance Lee. The poet's latest collection

builds on an achievement that has been gathering momentum

ever since the publication of his earlier books, Wrestling With

the Angel, Becoming Human, Human/Nature, and Seasons of

Defiance. The imaginative depths of this new work is enhanced

dramatically by the inclusion of 32 interior piecs of art by Michael

Foreman, Anne Howeson, Laura Knight, John Robertson, Charles

Shearer, and Ron Sandford, who also created the stunning cover

art. Four of the interior artworks are printed in full color: paintings

by Cezanne, Monet, a portrait of the poet, and the breathtaking,

stained-glass Jesse window. "Lee melds narrative stylings of the

19th and 20th centuries into work suitable for the 21st century..."

--Jackson Wheeler, editor, SOLO. "Lance Lee is claiming his place

in the galaxy of world poetry, grafting his work not only on to

Dante," but to artists such as Cezanne, Rembrandt, and Bernini.

--Donald Gardner, AMBIT. "This book is not afraid of risk and

imagination and is a survey of feeling and thought that is both

daring and demanding.It penetrates the inquisitive mind without

compromise..."--Kirby Congdon, SMALL PRESS REVIEW. "A

passionate paring of Lee's original free-verse and illustrations

from half a dozen artists..."--Able Greenspan, MIDWEST BOOK

REVIEW. "The justaposition of poetry and art takes on a life of

its own in TRANSFORMATIONS--inspired and inspiring..."--

Shanta Acharya. "Lance Lee's book is a journey of words that

could transform any reader into understanding the confusion,

the illusion and ultimately the perplexity of love..." Jacob Erin-

Cilberto. 148 delightful pages of poetry and art. $21.00.

ISBN: 9780984200351

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CHRISTMAS IN THE WILD, an anthology of fiction & journalism

by Lashly, Dokey, Graf, Lyons, Greinke, Harte, Garland, Smith,

Romano, Reed, Bellerive, Grain. These fine writers tell a dozen

riveting tales set in a dozen provocative locations--from the

top to the bottom of the Western Hemisphere--about how they

celebrated Christmas under remote, sometimes dangerous and

wild circumstances. From the Antarctic to NY's Adirondack

Mountains to Alaska's Prudhoe Bay, Yellowstone National Park,

Captiva Island off Florida, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, snow-

drifted prairies of Iowa, to a roaring Rattlesnake Creek in

California, as well as the dense forests of Maine, the bulrushes

of Louisiana, the backwoods of West Texas, and to a legendary

flyfishing river in the Catskill Mountains. Cover wood engraving

by master engraver, Frank C. Eckmair. A hybrid edition featuring

a letterpress-printed cover with interior text printed offset.

120 pages. $20.+$3.75 shipping/packing=$23.75.

ISBN: 9780984200375.

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BIRTHRIGHT, by Gwendolyn Jensen.A first-rate collection of tight-
crafted poems which are like close-up photographs of childhood,
family, and relationships woven together by the line between
life and death. "Birthright is a stunning first volume which forms a
process both into and away from unmitigated heartbreak.
Throughout, Jensen's grace is at once relentless and restrained,
every bit as voluptuous as it is formal."--Frannie Lindsay, author,
Mayweed, winner of the Washington Prize. "This collection of
poetry begs to be read again and again, with the poet's masterful
use of rhythm and form, of repetition..."--COMSTOCK REVIEW.
Jensen is the former president, Wilson College, Chambersburg PA.
The first edition of this book has been sold out. A second edition is
now available. Printed letterpress from handset 14 pt.
Perpetua metal type on 80 lb. Mohawk Vellum. 'Birthright' features
the glorious art of Helen Febbo, the author's sister.Softcover: $18.
ISBN: 978-0984-2003-06. Visit www.gwendolynjensen.com
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THE SINGING INSIDE, by Michael Miller. This new collection
by the author of THE JOYFUL DARK is anchored by a startlingly
honest, moving, and intimate sequence of poems on married
love as the couple adjusts to changes which long-term
relationships and human bodies undergo. A letterpress edition
featuring three wood engravings by Frank C. Eckmair. Printed
on 80 lb. Mohawk Vellum from handset metal type. "I read
Miller's poems with great pleasure in their accurate seeing,
their assured phrasing, their true and proportional feeling."
--Richard Wilbur. "The title poem is an extraordinary tribute
to married love that is universal without being conventional."
--William Leo Coakley. "Miller hits on a major issue in modern
life, which is the tentative nature of human relationships in
our technological, impersonal age...His language is natural
and the images are specific yet universal."--Eric Greinke,
PRESA. "Poignant and thoughtful, The Singing Inside is

worthy of extended, quiet contemplation..."--MIDWEST

BOOK REVIEW. "In this beautiful hand-printed book of poetry

Miller sings about the latter stages of married love..."--

A WORD'S WORTH. 56 pages. Antique Gray softcover

edition: $18.00. ISBN: 978-0-984-2003-1-3
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THE BELLS OF MOSES HENRY, by Peter Skinner. This author's
second novel is rich with drama, humor, insight, and peopled
by a cast of credible, endearing characters as a mulatto boy,
Willie Graves, travels from whore houses to railroad boxcars
to the homes of local folk in search of security, love, and
redemption. "A beautiful coming of age story that is poetic,
rich, and deeply affirming..."--Peter Walpole, Author, NPR
Essayist. "Skinner's latest is an exciting, generous novel
which tours Virginia from the mountains to Charlottesville to
Chesapeake Bay. It's a pleasure to see, hear, and feel his
array of characters, some up to no good and some doing the
right thing against heavy odds..."--John D. Casey, Author.
"With shimmering scenes, memorable characters, overseen
by the University of Virginia's old bell-ringer, the hard truths
that keep people apart are wrestled with..."--Donovan
Webster, Journalist/Author. "For fans of literary fiction or
those searching for a look into the soul of Virginia, this is a top
pick..." MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW. "A lovely book. Like a little
Southern gothic Dos Passos..."--Elizabeth Kiem, Member of
National Book Critics Circle. "Skinner has the gift of creating
sentences that linger long after they've been read..."
--Barbara Rich, DAILY PROGRESS. "Skinner seems a novelist in
the Steinbeck tradition, marrying history, nature, social issues,
vivid characters, and enough hi-jinks to keep the pages turning"
--Phillip Wagner, ICONOCLAST. 366 pages. Trade paper: $26.95.
ISBN: 9780978997458. Hard: $36.95.ISBN: 9780978997441.
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TONY'S WORLD, by Barry Wallenstein. The fictional Tony
in this series of living poems exists on the margins of the
urban scene and the character's own self-awareness as he
strives to establish a universally identifiable consciousness.
Tony is strong and quick-minded, and not to be trifled with.
"Tony's World fascinates uniquely, its depth revealed
gradually as it grips the reader with sudden mysteries and
revelations."-- poet DH Melham, HOME PLANET NEWS.
"Wallenstein's a splendid urban poet who is alert to the music
of New York--its dialects, generational inflections, and jazz."
--Marilyn Hacker, National Book Award winner. "Average
Joe who folds in on himself when life gets too tough, then
pops out the other side, more alive than ever."--FD Reeve,
author. "The poet uses these poems as a vehicle to tell a
story about the life of Tony, a city man of the world--a
unique collection that will keep people reading."--
MIDWEST REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Tony--the protagonist
of Wallenstein's superb collection--is a complex
construct--part hipster, part hustler, part self-hater,
part self-infatuater, part cynic, part romantic--and wholly
compelling..."--Roy Robins, NEW CONTRAST: SOUTH
AFRICAN LITERARY JOURNAL. Tony's World was picked by

SMALL PRESS REVIEW as one of its best poetry volumes

of the year. This letterpress edition was printed on 80 lb.

Mohawk Vellum, and features hand-colored original

cover art by Janet Aulisio. 64 pages of handset metal
type. Softcover: $18. ISBN: 9780978997489.
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SEASONS OF DEFIANCE, by Lance Lee. The poet's effects
are achieved through a classically informed richness of
language, incorporating insights which ring true while
disclosing an abiding respect for the sensibilities, and
history, of the art of poetry. "Splendid, lovely writing from
a poet who has channeled George Herbert, Walt Whitman,
and Beethoven as witnesses to the knowledge that a man's
fate is to find and lose/what must be found and held."--
Jackson Wheeler, Editor, SOLO. "Unashamedly post-Keatsian
in tone, and transatlantic in bias, Lee's strongest strain of
originality lies in his marrying of lyric celebration with
precise imagistic clarity."--Tim Liardet, author, The Blood
Choir. "His musings about life and the lessons you learn
day to day are honest and insightful, giving the reader
much to contemplate -- Lee's collection is highly
recommended for personal reading lists as well as for
academic and community library collections."--MIDWEST
REVIEW OF BOOKS. "There is a compelling tussle between
an intellect and its surroundings in this work, one which
maintained my interest throughout."--Peter Target,
AMBIT, UK. Striking original cover art by noted
UK artist Ron Sandford. 96 pages. Softcover: $19.00.
ISBN: 9780978997472.
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AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, by Marcus Rome. The latest
collection of poetry by this NYC psychoanalyst sets forth in an
up-to-the-minute perspective what is happening to our
national character as a result of the pressures arising out of
economic, social and especially political anxieties in America.
From the shocking financial meltdown, the wild merry-go-round
revolving around heath care, corporate and government
incursions into our private lives, corruption and incompetence
in both of those sectors, and the ongoing wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Rome strategically employs taut language and
gripping rhythmic patterns to drive home his central concern:
If we do not regain control of our lives within this milieu,
America could face a total breakdown of its culture and
values. "Rome posed many questions to us as we read this
wonderfully cryptic/metaphorical book. He is whispering
loudly enough for us to hear; but will we listen to this profound
poet?"--WATER FOREST PRESS. "The poetry of Marcus Rome
documents him as a master wordsmith dealing with the
world of today with true poetic flair."--MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW.
Cover art by Bertha Rogers. 72 pages. Offset trade edition.
$18.00. ISBN: 9780978997496.
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THE SEA-CROSSING OF ST. BRENDAN, by Matthew Brennan.
A classic of Irish literature: a sparkling new verse version of
this great sea adventure which originally appeared in Latin prose.
The tale centers around St. Brendan the Navigator's seven-
year search for the isle known as "Land of Saints," and in the
course of which a giant fish lifts his ship on its back. "Brennan's
rendering uses an adaptation of alliterative meter tempered by
some effects of more familiar verse forms. This achieves a
swift-moving and eminently readable text full of concrete
details and direct action that should strongly appeal both to
students and to more general readers."--WD Snodgrass.
"Brennan offers an invention worthy of Borges, and the result
is an enchanting tale in which the real and spiritual worlds
blend as convincingly as its diverse linguistic elements do."--
Timothy Steele, "I liked Sea-Crossing because it's
adventurous and involves a bygone era of great belief and
simplicity."--INDIANAPOLIS STAR. "Sea-Crossing is highly
readable, and very approachable."--SOUTH CAROLINA
REVIEW. Original art by Trish Romano. 64 pages. Softcover
letterpress edition printed on 70 lb. Cool White Vellum:
$17.00. ISBN: 9780978997434.
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WHERE THINGS ARE WHEN YOU LOSE THEM, by Martin Golan.
This tightly written collection of twelve short stories by a veteran
journalist confronts contemporary issues in relationships, and
the nature of loss, with the keen eye of a reporter, a poet's
ear for language, and the insights of one who has "been there."
As Golan leads us through a landscape of loss, he doesn't
merely illuminate these moments but seems to celebrate them:
"Loss," he says, "comes with being human, with any life lived
fully and well." "Golan writes of contemporary marriage with
humor and reckless candor. He voices our marital anxieties,
its frustrations, losses and joys. Somewhere between the lies
we tell each other and those we tell ourselves, Golan finds a
vast human neediness for romantic love."--Ken Kalfus, author,
A Disorder Peculiar to the Country. "A novel is like a marriage,"
Golan said in the MONCLAIR TIMES. "A short story is like a
brief but intense affair. A poem is a one-night stand." Stories
include these intriguing titles: "The Shape of Water," "The
Loneliness of Men," "The Cicadas are Throbbing," "Nora,
Standing Naked." Published in a handsome trade paperback,
featuring cover photography by Peter Jacobs. 175 pages.
$21.00. ISBN: 9780978997427.
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