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Persons of Interest: Poetry & Prose
by Mark Fleisher
Format: 6′′ x 9′′ ~ Perfect Bound
13 Poems ~ 13 Short Stories ~ 100 pages
Price: $20.00
Publisher: Mercury HeartLink www.heartlink.com
ISBN #: 978-1-949652-35-2
To Order: Amazon.com
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Persons of Interest is a law enforcement term to describe someone who is involved in an incident, not yet a suspect but may become one. In Mark Fleisher’s work entitled Persons of Interest he investigates, follows up clues and names names. Fleisher, who enjoys dabbling in the kitchen of his Alburquerque home, (note the book’s cover image), cooks up a Baker’s Dozen each of poems and stories, fiction, and nonfiction alike. The menu ranges from tales of his childhood, through college days and Air Force experiences to more contemporary times. Fleisher’s riveting prose and heartfelt poems reveal the fabric of a rich, well-lived life.
ADVANCE PRAISE:
Author Mark Fleisher and I share a common life context: We both served in the armed forces during the Vietnam era. Several pieces in Persons of Interest, reprise the author’s experiences during the war. “Singapore Fling,” resonated with me because, I too, had liberty there when my ship, the USS Mount McKinley, dropped anchor in Singapore Harbor for three days in 1968. Mark’s story about his “fling,” in Singapore captivated me. An Air Force veteran, the flight from Vietnam to Singapore for Mark and his friend, David, though brief in terms of time and distance, is filled with intrigue and surprises. Mark’s prose is nicely paced with the finely tuned diction of an accomplished writer.
–Michael Escoubas, author of Ripples Into the Light, with photographer, Vandana Bajikar
Many of the poems in Mark Fleisher’s dual collection of prose and poetry reveal a poet who speaks to the heart. His work “hits me where I live.” For example, “Breakfast Musings,” returned me to my youth where I avidly read the writing on milk cartons looking for typographical errors. I often found errors which, I can’t help thinking, has served me well in my poetic vocation. The poem is about (are you ready?) what ingredients make oatmeal “vegan”? Please see our “From the Book,” section below for the full story. Suffice to say that the poetry and prose in Persons of Interest, will reward readers many times over.
–Sharmagne Leland-St. John, author of the forthcoming, Spirit Ridge
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mark Fleisher has been a voracious reader since the last day of school when Mrs. Bernthal, his first-grade teacher at Public School 219 in Brooklyn, presented him with a copy of The Little Engine That Could.
Not long after, he began writing, whether it be term papers or covering sports for The Dutchman, the Erasmus Hall High School newspaper. At Ohio University, Fleisher earned a Bachelor of Science in journalism and worked as a student intern in the sports information office, writing news releases, help produce football and basketball guides, keeping statistics and seeing a ton of sports events.
Following a brief interlude as a researcher for a Wall Street law firm, Fleisher enlisted in the Air Force. After basic training, he was sent to the Defense Information School to learn the ins and outs of military journalism.
After 22 months at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, Fleisher spent a year in Vietnam as a combat news reporter. He was awarded a Bronze Star for Meritorious Service among other decorations.
His discharge from the Air Force led to a more than a twenty-year career as a reporter and editor at publications in upstate New York and Washington D.C. The recipient of numerous Associated Press and Gannet Newspaper awards, Fleisher switched gears and served as public information officer and later a veteran’s counselor at an upstate New York county. After retirement he wrote freelance articles for New York newspapers and magazines.
An affair of the heart brought Fleisher to Albuquerque where he reconnected with his now wife Merle Pokempner, a retired art therapist.
Since moving to New Mexico, he has written five books prior to Persons of Interest and collaborated on a sixth with his friend and writer Dante Berry. Fleisher’s fifth book Knowing When was a 2023 finalist for the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for poetry and a Military Writers Society of America bronze medalist.
FROM THE BOOK:
Breakfast Musings
by Mark Fleisher
Went to the market this fine morning,
Something knocked me for a loop,
a big, shiny aluminum kettle
sitting inches from the soup
I looked down at the label
Vegan oatmeal–I kid you not,
don’t know if it was any good,
but the stuff was steaming hot
I decided to try a sample,
not rough-cut but smooth as silk,
I wondered what made it vegan
and learned no cow donated its milk
Might have been the white stuff
from almonds, coconut or soy,
yes, I rolled my eyes and muttered
Oh Lord, my God, oh boy
You see, I’m all for healthy
but I tell you I won’t panic
if a winter’s breakfast of oatmeal
is not vegan or organic
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