Poetry Book

A Poet’s Story
© 2007 Kerri Lyn Kumasaka
Fox Creek Publishing 978-09765032-9-3
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I am reading Kerri Kumasaka's book of very good poetry in a format new to me. The poems are well constructed, lovely and moving, and a number have been published in national magazines and journals. . The format? Preceding each poem is a narrative comment by the poet, similar to what you might hear at a live reading, with the poet sharing her life and inspiration from where the words sprang. Quite appropriate for a book entitled A Poet's Story.

Yet as I progress in the book, I find that I'm skipping these prose passages. I don't like to know so much about the author (who is a personal acquaintance), and I don't like being told what the poem is about before I read it. In a few cases, it seems almost as if she isn't confident the reader will "get it."

So I'll skip the narratives and enjoy the poems. Maybe on my second reading (there's always a second reading with good poetry) I'll take in the prose. Right now, I just want to savor the words and let them spark images without any prompting.

Kerri's book is available at Independent bookstores. Order it from Montana Book Company or from the publisher.