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Altadena Poetry Review: Anthology 2024
Editor, Peter J. Harris
Contributing Editor, Carla R. Sameth
Cover & Interior Design: Thelma T. Reyna & Kevin Poythress
Introduction by Robin D.G. Kelley, Ph.D.
137 Poets ~ 177 Poems ~ 282 pages
Price: $19.00
Publisher: Golden Foothills Press
ISBN #: 978-1-7372481-2-5
To Order: goldenfoothillspress@yahoo.com
Reviewed by Michael Escoubas
The Altadena Poetry Review Anthology: 2024 may be the best in a long tradition of topnotch anthologies edited by Peter J. Harris and published by Golden Foothills Press. Its three sections: “Shared Magic,” “Synergy Portfolio,” and “Ode to the Land,” afford 137 gifted poets ample freedom to display their skills.
In his introduction, which is prose poetry at its finest, Dr. Robin Kelley avers, I am not a poet, but poetry saved my life. Talk about an attention grabber! With breathtaking passion, Kelley chronicles how poetry became his companion, weapon, mojo, salve, compass, and mirror. I found myself reading this year’s APR Anthology through Kelley’s lifesaving lens.
My goal in this review is to show examples of Kelley’s poetry mojo.
The title of Section I is Shared Magic. It takes its name from a poem by the same title. Here it is as an opening precursor of the magic within:
Shared Magic
by Micaela Accardi
home is in my heart is in your heart
is in wherever we are together
is in this dimension is in this atmosphere
is in the roots of the trees is in the leaves
is in the air we breathe is in your breath,
is in mine in the wood of the house
build together in the field of flowers, is infinity
As if by sleight-of-hand, without repeating the key word in the title, life’s hidden joys subtly coalesce in the air they breathe.
Types of poems include villanelle, letter poem, free verse, (the collections dominant form), prose poems, rhyming poems, and more. This ekphrastic gem by Erika Ayón, captured my attention early on:
Star Catcher
–after Remedios Varo’s “Star Catcher”
I have never caught the moon
with a butterfly net,
placed it in a cage,
carried it down a checkered hallway.
I have put the sun under my heavy coat,
made love under sunlight,
swam in solar rays.
The moon trapped inside me.
I spend time outdoors
out of necessity.
The sun draws out the moonlight,
evaporates the darkness,
eclipses the lunar.
This year’s edition not only features stylistic variety, but also exhibits Dr. Kelley’s mirror of ourselves.
Victor Cass’s, “The Junkman,” reminds us that the man who collects the discarded pieces of our lives, “The sight of you unsettles / Reminds us that there is another / one of you out there / that will come for us someday.”
“Sisterhood,” by Chris Cressey, delivers a poignant reminder that, “there is something sacred / about friendships spanning decades / acceptance without explanation / each understanding our history.”
Moving into Section II, Synergy Portfolio: “Synergy,” by definition, is a series of inter-actions, which together, show a power greater than the sum of their separate parts. In this section, thirty-nine contributors “synergize” their poems with art or poetry of a collaborator. Each poem is subtitled naming the author and title of the collaborative piece. Occasionally, I Googled specific works for additional context. Here is an example:
Connect
by Lisa Lewis
[Written ‘In Synergy’ with “Arena,” by Colin Conner]
Eyes connect
Connect the dots
Dot your i’s and cross your t’s
Tease the world, seize the world
Sometimes even please the world
Bend the trees
Bend your mind
Don’t be unkind
The wind has a tight grip on you
Madly rushing through
Do you wish you could be there,
Don’t you want to be everywhere?
The plan is simple, be aware
Be present for the ones who care.
Reviewer’s note: The reader is encouraged to learn more about Lisa’s inspiration by Googling Colin Connor, a Canadian–British dancer, choreographer, and educator.
Section III, Ode to the Land, is introduced with a brief essay by Carla Rachel Sameth, Poet Laureate for Community Events. The idea for this section of the anthology is succinctly summarized by Sameth: “The Ode to the Land workshops allowed for a sustained, cross-generational, creative experience in which poets could acknowledge, honor, and explore the abundant interconnections between the lands we inhabit, the places we call home, our own identities, and the lives we live in a time when many people don’t cultivate meaningful contact and interactions with those from different generations.”
Although this section features just five poems, its sentiments resonate. As a newly minted seventy-seven-year-old, I find myself in “praise” mode for my home state. Illinois’ never-ending fields of corn, soybeans, and wheat, wrap me in memories of rugged farmers, livestock, planting, and harvest. My family lived in an old house reminiscent of the one described by Bonnie S. Kaplan in her poem, “Postcard Poem, Ode to Home”:
I dreamt of you before we ever met:
Your secret stairs,
skylight to the stars.
Your rugged beauty,
brick-red roof,
good bones.
A smile at every threshold,
your soil mixture cultivated
for planting a kiss
on the back porch.
Your oak floors
well-worn. A history
of love lingers.
Yes, a history of love permeates this latest edition of the Altadena Poetry Review; for this reviewer it is a welcome salve applied to my life.
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