Lake Cora Haiku

Lake Cora is a beautiful spring-fed lake located in the cradle of southwest Michigan's orchards and vineyards. The lake is surrounded by a soft sandy shore, natural grasses, and stately trees. Though it is small and not widely known, locals affectionately call it the other great lake. Although Lake Cora is an ideal setting for water skiing, small sailboats, kayaks, and an occasional wave runner, it is primarily a quiet reflective setting for fishing, swimming, and a calm nightly parade of pontoon boats. As such, the lake gives rise to thoughts of nature and the nature of life. The ancient craft of haiku provides a vehicle to express such reflections. Haiku is a generally unrhymed poetic form traditionally consisting of seventeen syllables arranged in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables, respectively. Haiku is perhaps the most popular and best-known poetic form worldwide. These poems are deceivingly simple enough to be taught to children and yet have been the subject of doctoral dissertations and academic careers. Lake Cora Haiku is a fresh new collection of this admired poetic form.

In this stunning new collection of poems, Rachel Hunt Steenblik (Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings) explores the deep, human longing for a divine mother to complement the male God that has long dominated our culture. Lovingly illustrated by Ashley Mae Hoiland (One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly). Praise for Mother's Milk "In these brief and moving poems, Rachel Hunt Steenblik recalls and reimagines the relationship between the daughters of God and their hidden and distant mother. Using her own experience and revelation as well as her wide research, Rachel recreates the Heavenly Mother many dream of knowing, a woman not unlike our own mothers, one who shares our own experience of motherhood." -Claudia L. Bushman, author of Contemporary Mormonism "The warm, delicious, delicate and strong poems in Mother's Milk moved and delighted me. Without doubt this book is a major step toward filling the Mother-sized hole in our hearts. Boldly pulling back the curtain of patriarchy to show that "God" is not a boy's name and that we have never lived in a one-parent family, Rachel reminds us that our Mother has never ceased to nourish and love us." -Carol Lynn Pearson, author of Mother Wove the Morning, and The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy "Rachel Hunt Steenblik is Mormonism's most essential and necessary poet since Carol Lynn Pearson. Out of her hunger for a mother God, she has made food for us all. Out of her losses, she has made milk. It's what women's bodies know how to do, of course. But Rachel, oh honey, few of us do it so openly, so truthfully, so plainly, so well. Come, come, everyone-Mormon or not, brothers, sisters, kindred-and take these words. I am so proud that this book will teach the world what Mormon women know-perhaps uniquely-about God."-Joanna Brooks, author of Book of Mormon Girl.

A New York Times Bestseller and National Book Award Winner Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed author of Red at the Bone, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become. A National Book Award Winner A Newbery Honor Book A Coretta Scott King Award Winner Praise for Jacqueline Woodson: Ms. Woodson writes with a sure understanding of the thoughts of young people, offering a poetic, eloquent narrative that is not simply a story . . . but a mature exploration of grown-up issues and self-discovery.”—The New York Times Book Review

New Day, New Dreams takes the reader on a romantic ride of happiness, heartbreak, and passion, along with exploring struggles in life, while being inspired to move forward. Adding humor and laughter to the mix is a delightful reprieve from heartbreak and hurt. This collection of poetry is a beautiful reminder of long lasting love, new beginnings, and showing appreciation of the special people in our lives.

A new, beautifully illustrated translation of Felix Salten's celebrated novel Bambi-the original source of the beloved story. Most of us think we know the story of Bambi-but do we? The Original Bambi is an all-new, illustrated translation of a literary classic that presents the story as it was meant to be told. Jack Zipes's introduction traces the history of the book's reception and explores the tensions that Salten experienced in his own life-as a hunter who also loved animals, and as an Austrian Jew who sought acceptance in Viennese society even as he faced persecution. With captivating drawings by award-winning artist Alenka Sottler, The Original Bambi captures the rich emotional meaning of a celebrated story.