When the Virus Came Calling
Edited by Thelma T. Reyna
117 Poems ~ 265 Pages
Price: $16.00
Publisher: Golden Foothills Press
ISBN: 978-0-99696632-7-5
To Order: www.GoldenFoothillsPress.com


ABOUT THE BOOK:


It has been said that the foundation of any good society is its artists. If this is
true, the society of which we are a part rests on solid ground. When the Virus
Came Calling, an anthology edited by Thelma Reyna, brings together poetic
works from 44 accomplished artists. The works included by Reyna range from
personal essays to poems displaying a remarkable variety of form and content.
Divided into 4 topical divisions: Invasion, Seclusion, Introspection, and
Realizations, each artist contributes their best work to make this volume a “must
have” collection for a full-orbed experience of Covid-19 in America.


ADVANCE PRAISE:


A truly significant … “poetry of witness” of the Covid-19, with diverse voices
that surprise us with their takes on this life-altering apocalyptic epidemic.
—Vibana Aparicio-Chamberlin, author/Illustrator of Mi Amor, A Memoir

… a time capsule, a scrapbook, a poetic testimony for those who will peer
back from the future at what the Covid-19 did to a conscious species in a few
months’ time.
—Jack G. Bowman, author of Eucalyptus Rex

… a poignant reminder of our humanity in chaos and fear, reminding us of
who we are as a people, and as a global community … celebrating the light
and darkness of the human spirit.
—Monteque Pope-Le Beau, Publisher & Founder, The Art of Monteque


ABOUT THE EDITOR:


Thelma T. Reyna, Ph.D. has won 16 national literary awards. She has written
six books: a short story collection, The Heavens Weep for Us and Other
Stories; two poetry chapbooks—Breath & Bone and Hearts in Common; and
three full-length poetry collections—Rising, Falling, All of Us; Reading Tea
Leaves After Trump, which won six national book honors in 2018; and Dearest
Papa: A Memoir in Poems, (Golden Foothills Press, 2020). As Poet Laureate in
Altadena, 2014-2016, she edited the Altadena Poetry Review Anthology in 2015
and 2016. Thelma’s fiction, poetry, and nonfiction have appeared in literary
journals, anthologies, textbooks, blogs, and regional media, print and online,
for over 25 years. She was a Pushcart Prize Nominee in Poetry in 2017; and
winner of a California state Legislators’ award, “Women in Business/ Author,
Most Inspirational” in 2011. Thelma is the founder and owner of an editing
consultancy, The Writing Pros, based in Pasadena, CA, and of the multiple-
award-winning indie book publisher, Golden Foothills Press. She received her
Ph.D. from UCLA.


FROM THE BOOK:


Come Home
by Cassie Premo Steele

Come home, Earth said.
Listen to the songs, said the birds.
Look up, said the sky.
Watch our leaves in bud, said the trees.
Let me sit on your lap, said the dogs and cats.
Work together, said the ants.
Feel my touch, said the breeze.
See my light, said the sun at dawn.
Bring your chicks close, said the chickens.
Create new schools, said the fish.
Give thanks to the sand, said the shells.
Flow to the source, said the rivers.
Stand still, said the mountains.
Be slow and silent, said the turtles.
Let your bodies rest, said the stars.
Expand, our hearts said.

And we did.
And we did.
And we did.
And we did.

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