Collecting Book

Darcia Helle Reviews Award-Winning Book of Poetry

Title: Imperfect Echoes
Subtitle: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Smalll
ISBN: 9781515232490
Available as e-book or paper on Amazon
Genre: Poetry
USA Book News Finalist

Accepted for inclusion in Poets & Writers prestigious list of published poets, multi award-winning novelist and poet Carolyn Howard-Johnson is widely published in journals and anthologies. She is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was named to Pasadena Weekly’s list “Fourteen San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen” and was given her community’s Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts and her poetry chapbooks have won several awards. One of her poems won the Franklin Christoph poetry prize. She was an instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program for nearly a decade. Learn more about all her books at http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile or http://howtodoitfrugally.com. All proceeds from this book will be donated to Amnesty International. Their work includes–in part–monitoring human rights violations the world over.

Published: August 2015

Amazon / Amazon UK

Reviewed by Darcia Helle, author and reviewer
Originally published on Darcia's Quiet Fury blog

Carolyn Howard-Johnson has the ability to transform intensely personal experiences and emotions into poetry that belongs to all of us. She draws us in, embracing us with her words.

Survival allows no time to laugh, no time to cry.

I love the theme of this collection. Carolyn looks at the broad scope of war, humanizing events, inviting us to see beyond political soundbites. We’re not given a stream of violent words to spark graphic images. Her intent here is not to shock with trails of blood. Instead, we’re shown what war looks like from a smaller standpoint; a child, a grandmother, a friend. We also see what compassion looks like, what real justice might feel like if we could learn to embrace our differences.

Does danger lurk
in the dark of my closet
or the fist of discipline
or the noose of justice?

This is a beautiful collection of poems that can be read and reread many times over.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Robert Medak Reviews Award-Winning Imperfect Echoes

Title: Imperfect Echoes
Subtitle: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small
Author: Carolyn Howard – Johnson
ISBN: 9781515232490
Finalist USA Book News Award
Available on Amazon as an e-book or paperback
Five-Star review from Robert Medak

Reviewed by Robert Medak

Imperfect Echoes is a series of poems by Carolyn, and a look at simple things in our lives that many don’t take the time to find the joy in their lives.

In this book, Carolyn draws with words allowing the reader to reminisce, if you are old enough, about living a life before social media and texting.

Through Carolyn’s way with words, readers are transported to times and places painted though the use of words on a page as a painter uses brushes to paint on canvas.

As you read Imperfect Echoes, you are able to reflect and reminisce about experiences, places and people from our planet.

Have a few moments to spare? Read a poem from Imperfect Echoes, it is not a book you have to read cover to cover in one sitting, although, you could. It is about the visceral response elicited by the poems.

Imperfect Echoes, is a book even those who don’t like poetry will enjoy reading and experiencing the written word in the form of free verse.

Imperfect Echoes is a five-star recommended read for anyone who likes a good book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Medak is a freelance writer, blogger, editor, reviewer and marketer. Learn more about him at:
http://www.authorsden.com/robertmedak
http://rjmedak.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/freelancewrtr
http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmedak

http://xeeme.com/RobertMedak

ABOUT THE POET
Accepted for inclusion in Poets & Writers prestigious list of published poets, multi award-winning novelist and poet Carolyn Howard-Johnson is widely published in journals and anthologies. She is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list “Fourteen San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen” and was given her community’s Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts. One of her poems won the Franklin Christoph poetry prize. She was an instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program for nearly a decade and edits poetry books for others. Learn more about all her books including her newest, Imperfect Echoes, at http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfileor http://howtodoitfrugally.com.

Editor of Bookwatch Calls Poet "Exceptionally Skilled Wordsmith"

Imperfect Echoes

Subtitle: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, Lie and Oppression with small
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 9781515232490

$9.95, PB,

148pp,

Purchase: http://bit.ly/ImperfectEchoes

Web site: http://HowToDoItFrugally.com/poetry_books.htm
Also available for Kindle and other e-readers.

Reviewed by Jim Cox for the February 2016 Issue of Wisconsin Bookwatch

Accepted for inclusion in Poets and Writers prestigious list of published poets, multi award-winning novelist and poet Carolyn Howard-Johnson is widely published in journals and anthologies. With the publication of "Imperfect Echoes: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, Lie and Oppression with Small" Carolyn has showcased the best of her free verse poetry to date. An exceptionally skilled wordsmith, her poetry will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. Very highly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary American Poetry collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Imperfect Echoes" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

'Utah's Song'
Snow hums a quiet melody, rhythmic drifts,
polar staccato on cheeks and nose.
Quiet harmony here.
Solace in the pulse of canyon winds,
hush of gurgling creeks
sway of clouds moving high.
Symphony of silence
in thin mountain air.
Bars, staffs, and whole notes.
Tranquil self-destruction.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Jim Cox is Editor-in-Chief of Wisconsin Bookwatch. He has been a staple in the review industry for decades. . His business address is 278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI 53575 and his business e-mail is MWBOOKREVW@aol.com.

ABOUT THE POET

Accepted for inclusion in Poets & Writersprestigious list of published poets, multi award-winning novelist and poet Carolyn Howard-Johnson is widely published in journals and anthologies. She is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list “Fourteen San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen” and was given her community’s Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts. One of her poems won the Franklin Christoph poetry prize. She was an instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program for nearly a decade. Learn more about her and follow her Amazon Author page at http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfileor at http://howtodoitfrugally.com/more_on_imperfect_echoes.