Calendar Girls: Poems 2022
by Tobi Alfier
Poetry ~ Full Color Artwork ~ 26 Pages
Format: 8 ½” x 11” ~ Paperback
Price: $8.00
Publisher: Cholla Needles Arts & Literary Library
ISBN-13: 979-8481909332
To Order: Amazon.com


ABOUT THE BOOK:


In this stunning new collection by Tobi Alfier, Calendar Girls, explores the heart-
felt emotions of women wrapped in a shawl of expectation and hope. It moves
from January, where the days are “short and sad,” to April, where “It’s time to put
on her bracelets / and spin and spin and spin,” to July, when, “It’s time to put on
that wide-brimmed straw hat for good shade and minimal freckles,” to November,
“the month of good smells.” Each month’s poem and image fits together in a pro-
found and delightful reflection on time. Listen up men: Calendar Girls is just as
much a book for you … with whom are you turning the pages of time?


ADVANCE PRAISE:


“Just opened Calendar Girls poems and it is stunning. I’m looking forward to put-
ting it up in my office and reading it cover to cover.”
—Dr. Darren Richard Carlaw, Editor-in-Chief, Stepaway Magazine

“Living all of my life in the prairies of central Illinois, where the “biology” of the
seasons plays a dominant role in planting, growth, maturation and harvest, I found
myself moved by each of these poems. Though the gender emphasis focuses pri-
marily on women, it is really a book for men as well. As I turned the pages, en-
joying the poems that fit perfectly with the exquisite photography chosen by Rich
Soos, life happened for me. It happened in childhood memories of all the good
things that came as gifts with each new turn-of-the-page.”
—Michael Escoubas, author, Images: A Collection of Ekphrastic Poetry

“Got a copy of Calendar Girls: Poems 2022, Tobi! It's gorgeous. I've read the first
few poems and (as usual) like what I read. I usually like your work, so no surprise
there. I definitely like this batch of poems.”
—Pamelyn Casto. Senior Associate Editor, Open: Journal of Arts & Letters


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Tobi Alfier is co-editor of San Pedro River Review, an international semi-annual
print journal of poetry and art. Her chapbooks include The Coincidence of Cas-
tles from Glass Lyre Press, Romance and Rust from Blue Horse Press, Down An-
struther Way from FutureCycle Press and Grit and Grace from Orchard Street
Press. Her newest full-length books are Somewhere, Anywhere, Doesn't Matter
Where from Kelsay Books, Sanity Among the Wildflowers from Cholla Nee-
dles, Slices of Alice & Other Character Studies from Cholla Needles and Sym-
metry: earth and sky from Main Street Press.


FROM THE BOOK:


November
by Tobi Alfier

November is the month of good smells.
It’s the only time she’ll rescue the food processor,

make cranberry relish—tart dried cherries, cardamom
and brown sugar, the perfect description of her

as judged by family, old friends, former lovers.
Her current man is complex and kind,

eyes the color of sky we’ve never seen,
so thoughtful—he knows the shortening daylight

wreaks havoc with her, no matter that the moon is brighter
than the walking-into-winter low-slung daylight.

He stands near her like a sentry. His lips on her neck
make her almost forget this isn’t the spring season she loves,

that soon there will be no wildflowers in the vase
by the window, no birds chirping in trees full of green.

She’ll look to him for rescue. He has his own wounds
that furrow his forehead, knows there will be plenty of time

for her to rescue him. And she will. Beginning with the bounty
of good meals and beauteous symphonies of delight—

tart, sweet and noble. Her eyes hold the words to him
that do not need to be spoken, only understood.


Note: Calendar Girls can be imagined as a poetry book with a 2022 calendar, or
as a 2022 calendar with poetry to help you make it through each month.

Contributing artists: Gábor Adonyi, George B, Aadya Chidanand, Tove Erbs,
Dae Jeung Kim, Gael Moisson, Michelle Raponi, Kevin Schmid, r soos

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