Winter - Lane Brandy

This anthology of poetry and prose by poets from around the world delves into the many celebrations that begin early in the season and the doldrums and melancholy that winter can bring. There are themes dealing with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day. There are also themes dealing with love, family, memories, and loss, including the loss of a spouse, children, pets, parents, homes, and oneself. We all celebrate and grieve from every corner of the world. While winter may be snowy in one part of the world and stormy in another, and Christmas may be during a cold season in the North and warm in the South, we are all humans and can relate to each other on the simplest levels of joy and grief. On these basic levels, we can comfort and empathize with one another to get through the struggles of what seems cold and dark, just like the months we refer to as "winter." Each poet is represented by their dialect and word spelling to demonstrate where they are from. Every poet is housed in their own "chapter," which tells a little about them and their location. Curated and edited by Brandy Lane, of Where Beautiful Inks LLC, this is her first collaborative anthology.

With special thanks to Julie Keleher for her dedication and hours spent listening to me read poems over and over again to make sure that each one was exactly as it should be written. She has poured love into this book as a shepherd to the poets. I, for one, am grateful.