Four accomplished poets, with four distinct voices, come together to create By Way Of. Read and listen to excerpts.

REVIEWERS’ COMMENTS

Combine equal parts of Matthew Nienow’s spare and incisive observations and Diana Alvarez’s visceral incantations. Fold in Diana Woodcock’s exotic locales and surprising narratives and the edgy dislocations of Emily Carr. Blend well and allow to rise in the mind and heart. By a remarkable alchemy, these disparate elements merge into a single, compelling unity.

Susan Settlemyre Williams

By Way Of showcases four unique poetic talents, yet creates a holistic reading experience that surpasses the mere sum of four parts. The overall effect is atmospheric and exotic.  Reading through, I couldn’t help but imagine all these poets in the same room, feeding off each other’s energy, merging into one persona, of sorts—an assemblage of voice that results in varied, deep and lively reading for their very fortunate readers.

Mark Cox

MEET THE BY WAY OF AUTHORS

DIANA ALVAREZ is born every day. The first time, she was born in the salty Body of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi, TX. She has since left her home to pursue the ghosts of Gloria Anzaldúa and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Diana received the 2008 Agha Shahid Ali Poetry Prize from the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center and her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. Her work has appeared in Sarah Lawrence College’s Dark Phrases.

EMILY CARR is writing a book of poetry, to loot to hew & Eden, that explores happiness from ecocritical and feminist perspectives. Her work has recently been featured in HOW2, Jacket, The Capilano Review, So To Speak, Phoebe, Isotope, Bombay Gin, Dusie, and NO/ON: the Journal of the Short Poem. Emily is a founding member of the Rednotebook Collective, an organization that creates opportunities for renegotiating the artist-critic relationship.

MATTHEW NIENOW is the author of Two Sides of the Same Thing, winner of the 2007 Copperdome Chapbook Award from Southeast Missouri State University Press. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including American Literary Review, Columbia, New Orleans Review, Nimrod, Prairie Schooner and Best New Poets 2007. He builds wooden boats and has led canoeing expeditions in northern Canada. Visit him at matthewnienow.com.

DIANA WOODCOCK has lived in Tibet, Macau and Thailand and is currently teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. She has won prizes from Artists Embassy International and the Atlanta Review. Her poems have appeared in Best New Poets 2008, Nimrod, Atlanta Review, Crab Orchard Review, Portland Review, and other journals and anthologies. She’s been awarded residencies at MICA/Rochefort-en-Terre, Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Everglades National Park.

For review copies or to schedule readings, contact editor@toadlilypress.com.