With few opportunities to travel this year, it was an absolute joy to be whisked away to places like Zaxos, Venice and Kaua'i through W.M. Raebeck's vivid poetry in her latest book, Silence of Islands.
Title: Silence of Islands - Poems | Author: W.M. Raebeck | Genre: Poetry/Adult Non-Fiction Publisher: Hula Cat Press | Release date: July 2020
Book Description: Poetry for the summer day, poetry for the dark night. Poems that cut a walkable trail through the forest of life. Always with a nudge and a wink, “It’ll be okay.” This collection reflects a lifetime of nature, love, travel, death, joy, art, family, and the eternal questions. A potion of emotion to soothe and move you.
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My Thoughts: This year, as armchair travel replaced actual travel, I made a conscious effort to learn more about poetry. From studying poetry forms to trying my hand at writing my own poems, I discovered a world of imaginative, evocative writing that I had in some ways overlooked. Perhaps it's a fear of "not getting it" that kept me away. So I loved the description of Silence of Islands as a "potion of emotion" because I get that -- this collection of personal poems is exactly that, a combination of so many feelings from so many places experienced through a lifetime of observation, love and living.
Some of my favorite poems in this collection include "Close Friends" -- a hilarious web of people, interconnected through place, love and circumstance, "Boats" -- a bittersweet memory of life before tourists on an island in Greece and "Romance" -- a reminder of that wonderful feeling of new love. From love and loss to hope and happiness, this collection touches on so many emotions, both wonderful and difficult, that we experience in the moments in life.
The sense of place is especially powerful in these wonderful poems. Absorbed in the writing, it's a little surprise at the end where the author includes the date and place where the poem was written, to discover where you have just been. And it was a real joy to visit all of these amazing places, especially when I couldn't get there myself.
Meet the Author: 
W. M. Raebeck's trademarks are humorous candor, spiritual stretching, and frequent exits from the comfort zone. She lives in Hawaii, with regular Mainland visits. Her five books to date are true-life accounts, from the misadventures of a sugar-freak hippie chick ('I Did Inhale') to 20 stories about art, Hollywood, and spirits ('Stars in Our Eyes') to trekking through the Costa Rican rainforest ('Expedition Costa Rica') to teaching yoga in Santa Monica ('Some Swamis are Fat')* and now her poetry collection, 'Silence of Islands.' Before authoring, Raebeck was a film and television actress based in LA, London, and NYC. She went on to freelance journalism, contributing to the then-alternative world of green politics, environmental protection, U.S. involvement in Central American wars, socially conscious investing, and much more. Her articles were always accompanied by her own photography, including numerous cover stories for the LA Weekly and other papers like the East Hampton Star from her former hometown. In Raebeck's personal life, yoga and natural health (sugar notwithstanding) remain institutions. As is maintaining a zero-waste household. Animal rights and environmental activism are lifelong commitments, including all-too-frequent bird rescue. W. M. Raebeck's books are available in print and ebook worldwide, and can be ordered from any book store or library. Audio editions are in the works! For additional info, or to join the email list, visit WendyRaebeck.com. Her next book, 'Nicaragua Story—Back Roads of the Contra War,' takes a hard look at a people's war, and will be out in 2021. * 'Some Swamis are Fat' is under the pen-name Ava Greene.
W. M. Raebeck's trademarks are humorous candor, spiritual stretching, and frequent exits from the comfort zone. She lives in Hawaii, with regular Mainland visits. Her five books to date are true-life accounts, from the misadventures of a sugar-freak hippie chick ('I Did Inhale') to 20 stories about art, Hollywood, and spirits ('Stars in Our Eyes') to trekking through the Costa Rican rainforest ('Expedition Costa Rica') to teaching yoga in Santa Monica ('Some Swamis are Fat')* and now her poetry collection, 'Silence of Islands.' Before authoring, Raebeck was a film and television actress based in LA, London, and NYC. She went on to freelance journalism, contributing to the then-alternative world of green politics, environmental protection, U.S. involvement in Central American wars, socially conscious investing, and much more. Her articles were always accompanied by her own photography, including numerous cover stories for the LA Weekly and other papers like the East Hampton Star from her former hometown. In Raebeck's personal life, yoga and natural health (sugar notwithstanding) remain institutions. As is maintaining a zero-waste household. Animal rights and environmental activism are lifelong commitments, including all-too-frequent bird rescue. W. M. Raebeck's books are available in print and ebook worldwide, and can be ordered from any book store or library. Audio editions are in the works! For additional info, or to join the email list, visit WendyRaebeck.com. Her next book, 'Nicaragua Story—Back Roads of the Contra War,' takes a hard look at a people's war, and will be out in 2021. * 'Some Swamis are Fat' is under the pen-name Ava Greene.Enter the Giveaway: Click here to enter the giveaway for your chance to WIN 1 of 5 ebooks of SILENCE OF ISLANDS or a $25 Amazon Gift Card (6 winners)! Open to Amazon.com customers everywhere.
Tour Schedule:
Oct 12 – Merlot Et Mots – book review / author interviewOct 12 - Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Oct 13 – Rockin' Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
Oct 14 – Splashes of Joy – book review / guest post / author interview / giveaway
Oct 14 - Cover Lover Book Review - book review / giveaway
Oct 15 – Literary Flits – book review / giveaway
Oct 15 - Books and Zebras @jypsylynn – book review
Oct 15 - Pick a good book – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 16 – 30-something Travel – book review / guest post / giveaway
Oct 16 - Chit Chat with Charity - book review / author interview
Oct 19 – Pen Possessed – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 19 - Sefina Hawke's Books – book review
Oct 20 – Bound 4 Escape – book review / guest post / giveaway
Oct 20 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review / giveaway
Oct 21 – Alexis Marie Chute – book review / author interview
Oct 21 - Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Oct 22 - Lisa's Reading - book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 23 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 23 - Books for Books – book review
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Thanks for your lovely review, Stephanie. Much appreciated. Happy Trails, and may this covid curse be VANQUISHED so we can all hit the road again!! (Though Hawai'i without tourists was something we only dreamed about previously.) Oh, btw, all my books involve lots of travel because it's in my DNA, so readers should definitely check out my website and/or Amazon to check out my other titles! And if they'd like to be on my email list, I'm offering a free story right now. Thanks again for having me on your blog!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog, Wendy. I can't wait to get back to traveling myself, but trying to enjoy home as much as possible right now. I look forward to reading more of your stories and poems -- they really did take me away to the islands!
DeleteThank you for reviewing my book, Stephanie, and for sharing my book on my first blog tour! You should, indeed, try your hand at poetry — you seem comfortable and competent with words and description. Don't worry about form too much, just get it down when you feel it. The nice thing about writing is you can continue improving it forever! (Or until it's published, I guess, then you're done.) Thanks again!
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