Skookum Raven Paperback – November 1, 2020

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ekstasis Editions; 1st edition (November 1, 2020)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 104 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1771713909
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1771713900
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.4 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.22 x 9 inches

Sparse language and an emotional drive punch up these poems in this quick witted collection.  From the poem “Insomnia Redux”:  “Cypress Mountain beams / Singe my bed, / Illuminate dread.”  Verses seem to come out in bursts.  There is a deafening silence to each line, loud thoughts and commotion, and emotional catharsis of sorts.  Haley doesn’t shy away from saying exactly what she wants to say in these poems.  She seems to take you through a turbulent maze full of a smorgasbord of imagery.  This is the kind of poetry and writing you won’t walk off and forget anytime soon.

Rookie

Fleeting night,
Windows eternally flicker
With reality show glimpses.
Headless psyches,
A fleck of remembrance.
My brief childhood.
Dumb, young adulthood.
Grim hospital stay of a marriage.
My next of kin reside in the past.
I plod like a donkey.
55 and I need more
Time. Miles. Cash.
Born harried, will I die a novice?

About the Author

Poet, novelist and musician Heather Haley pushes boundaries by creatively integrating disciplines, genres and media. Her writing has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, she was Poetry Editor for the LA Weekly and publisher of the Edgewise Cafe, one of Canada's first electronic literary magazines. She is the author of poetry collections Sideways (Anvil Press), Three Blocks West of Wonderland (Ekstasis Editions), a debut novel, The Town Slut's Daughter (Howe Sound Publishing) and the new collection, Skookum Raven (Ekstasis Editions).