Forest Poetry

This poetry collection celebrates the impossible truths of the natural world and the magic that hides in plain sight. Poet and podcaster Jarod K. Anderson (creator of The CryptoNaturalist podcast) has built a large audience of social media followers and podcast listeners with his strange, vibrant appreciations of nature. Ranging from contemplations of mortality to appreciations of single-celled organisms, the poems in this collection highlight our connection to a living universe and affirm our place in a wilderness worthy of our love.

Codrin Voinescu, a retired soldier, a man approaching 50, haunted by past choices, grief, loss, and a present that seems without hope and purpose. A return trip to his home village in Transylvania that ends in one last unexpected conflict. A hasty retreat into the nearby Hoia Baciu Forest, a woodland with an equally haunted reputation, offers Codrin an encounter with a strange Faerie (well, half-Faerie, technically) guide who has a rather interesting story of her own. Their sojourn in the woods and what happens over a two-week period will change everything.

Spirits in the Forest is the first collection of poetry from award-winning Irish writer/poet, Kevin McManus. The poems have a common thread running through them - the stark but beautiful setting of Ireland's western landscapes, the isolation felt by some in a rural existence, and the strength of spirit that survives within the human soul to endure and find eventual joy and solace.

Vievee Francis's poems engage many of the same concerns as her poetic predecessors - faith in a secular age, the city and nature, aging, and beauty. Words certainly do not fail as Francis sets off into the wild world promised in the title. The wild here is not chaotic but rather free and finely attuned to its surroundings. The listener who joins her will emerge sensitized and changed by the enduring power of her work.

All his life, William Stanley searched for a wild place of his own. Growing up in the straightened-out city blocks of his childhood and finding some respite in summer trips to a cabin in the woods, he yearned for space, fragrant soil, tall trees, and the silence that surrounds them. In Hawaii, he learned of acres of land depleted from toxic agricultural practices, and he became determined to restore that land and create one of the most comprehensive palm gardens in the world.

Essence Seekers is an allegorical spiritual journey that takes us through practical, emotional, and psychological steps from a beginning curiosity and longing to enlightenment. It inspires with hope, while it aids with deep introspection and authenticity. Rooted in Eastern wisdom adapted from ancient texts, the universal and non-sectarian themes speak to any and all seekers of the essence of life.

Light in the Enchanted Forest is an interactive poetic book about living love. The story begins as a community of bugs agree to upgrade their forest. They decide to live their love and equality. First, the bee, then the ant, and finally the spider have challenges that come up that they work through. This book gives the opportunity for dialogue between parents and children about how to take everyday challenges and turn them into something great.

Deep Roots, Dark Forests explores the unseen, the unnoticed, and the uncared for in our lives. It's the simple everyday things that are the most fascinating - the flowers, the forest, the decaying architecture in an old Southern town. It's the silent, quick blooms of an azalea, the big, pure magnolia blossoms, and the wide roots of a live oak that capture the attention here.

Imaginations will soar from the forest floor up through the canopy and back down again, following the circle of life in this clever adaptation of the song "The Green Grass Grew All Around". The jungle comes alive as children learn about a wide variety of the animals (jaguars, emerald tree boas, leafcutter ants, sloths, poison dart frogs, toucans, and bats) and plants (kapok trees, liana vines, and bromeliads) living in the lush Amazon rainforest.