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Roberta Batorsky is a Biology teacher and freelance science writer. Her poetry reflects her interest in people, their lived experiences and science. She writes with empathy, knowledge and humor and has been published in Heron Clan, Fine Lines, NJ Bards, Delaware Valley Poets and other collections. This is her first book. She lives in NJ with her husband and has 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Her Instagram account is RobertaBatorsky_Poetry
This book uses powerful, colorful imagery and often humor, applied to everyday life situations, to delve deep into the realms of love, loss, childhood, memory, aging, relationships, partnership and friendship. The writer's command of language, including colorful and strong vocabulary, will appeal to poetry readers of all stripes in its accuracy, insight and universality. Her critical insight and unsparing explorations of feelings will bring readers into her circle with recognition of the beauty of her words and the similarities with their own experiences. Her love for nature and ability to describe people's lived experiences, mental problems, societal upheaval, relationship struggles, love for family and deep love for, and familiarity with, literature will inspire all who pick up her book. Her style is a giving and loving one which will be meaningful to all readers.
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Review:
It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to Perihelion, the debut collection of poetry by Roberta Batorsky. Roberta's poetry has taken the literary community by storm, her words will make you want to sit up and think, stir emotions, as she pulls you into her world. Her poetry reflects her interest in people, through lived experiences and the world of science. Each one is full of humour, pathos, and empathy. She is incredibly articulate and precise, reflecting her intellectual ability as an educator.
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This collection has over one hundred poems; each one is a masterpiece in its own right, beautifully crafted to perfection. Each poem gives you an insight into her life and the lives of others, incredibly observant and full of wit, as you are transported to her world.
This book will appeal to readers of all ages and genders because it is relatable, to enchant, move and delight. Stand out poems include "American Standard or The Loo's Lament," "Social Dancing on Neptoon," "Lost Lives Matter," "Unstrung, for Richard," "I Remember It," "If I die first," "Picking Apples in Stilettos," "Bismillah," "Autumn Finds Me," "My Dis Connect," "Drinking with Mom," "Man to Man," "The Walkers in the Rain," and "Gasp." This poignant book of poetry is an entertaining read, will make you laugh out loud, smile in places and shed a tear, extremely relatable and utterly brilliant, it will be a welcome addition to your bookshelf, a classic in the making.
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Sarfraz Ahmed, Poet and Writer (UK)
We don't all get a fair shake in life, which will become clearer to you after reading this collection of poetry. Life is, among other things, a series of memories, good and bad, of death and grief. Hate and happiness. Kindness and compassion. Sometimes it's just plain ridiculous and all we can do is laugh or shake our heads in disbelief. But, everything in this life is very real as are these poems. My hope is simply that anyone reading this book finds them relatable and that they evoke some kind of emotion whether it's joy or discomfort.
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The voice in Ken Tomaro's new chapbook, You've got it all wrong is at times despairing, often celebratory, and always restless, hungry for truth, not one absolute, but the many truths beneath the surface of every day. He finds the extraordinary in his life and in the lives of others, and puts it into sharp, elegant lines of poems written by a human being in a beautifully complicated, troubled, imperfect world. His poems raise questions, offer no easy answers, and go straight to the heart. They are particular but also universal. Readers can see themselves and be thankful for the significant fact of being alive. Mostly, these poems take you in, and delight. In "Well, hello," the chapbook's final poem, Ken Tomaro says, "wellness is in the eye of the beholder / it's in a good cup of coffee / a good hand in poker or / laughing out loud when you haven't in a while."
Peter Mladinic, author of The Whitestone Bridge and Maiden Rock
Give me a nice day, some really good tequila and a book by Ken Tomaro and I'm good to go.
John Yamrus, author of Don't Shoot the Messenger: Just Give Him a Good Place to Hide
Ken's work speaks from the base of his heart directly to the base of yours, leaving the mind to eavesdrop. His words evoke moments, feelings, memories so strongly that the conscious mind can only hang on for the ride and this collection has you nodding in agreement before you can even process what was said. This gift, this curse of his, is neatly packaged up for us to experience in this collection
Jason Artis
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Dear Heart
Before computers, we wrote letters. My mother's letters were like little novellas, several pages long. Her family members and friends loved to get her "books." Letters from mom were heartfelt and brought tears of love. As her pen moved passionately across the pages, sometimes her clear, blue eyes would well up. Letters were her release. They were her way of expressing herself in ways she could not voice. Occasionally, she would write letters to people out of anger and then tear them up. These could have been to politicians, relatives, and those are the ones I knew about. She would express her heart's desire, open up her soul, and pour out her thoughts.
While I did not have the beautiful penmanship of my mother, I learned that the pen was my power. Some of my letters were releases which I destroyed. At age 15, I even wrote one about the need for a doctor in our little town. The letter and story was published in the newspaper.
As a writer and a poet, I write as if my words are letters to the world, perhaps to express the desires of my heart. Other times I write to simply write.
When we do express our desires within our heart this has a way of stirring up thoughts and even action plans to make things happen. They could be acceptances of things that can't be changed, but often are steps toward courage to make something happen.
I posed this question and requested to others: What is the desire in your heart? This is my challenge to you. I would like to read about the desires in your heart in the "Dear Heart" anthology of letters, poetry, art, photography, and whatever ways helps you express your passion.
There was a caveat to this. In honor of my mother, the expressions were to be sent to me via good old fashioned snail mail.
Now, it is my pleasure to bring to you these beautiful heartfelt responses via Dear Heart.
Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld
Contributors: Alice Taylor, Chyrel J. Jackson, Danielle Martin, Jia-Li Yang, Jill Sharon Kimmelman, Jodi Lynn Nehring, Karen Monteith, Max H. Tomey, Nanci Arvizu, Pratibha Savani, Rebecca Herz, Richa Dinesh Sharma, Robin Klammer, Sarah Ryan, Shiela Denise Scott, Steve Anc, Terri Michels, Zaneta Varnado Johns,
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Sam H. Arnold
As an editor, Lisa is a true professional and has an eye for all the small details. She even noticed when speech marks had been reversed. She gave my manuscript a full edit as well as suggesting where phrases could be improved and clarified. Since finishing my manuscript she has helped me by suggesting publishing routes and providing contact details for these connections. It is her passion for my work that makes her stand out from other editors I have worked with. She shows real enthusiasm for a project and gave me a lot of confidence and encouragement. It is her support that has made me excited to start searching for a publisher. I will definitely be using her again for future projects. I would recommend her for all your editing needs.
Rachel Brockway
Lisa helped me on a few writing projects. I wrote my first draft and didn't worry about errors then would have family look it over. Then I would have Lisa do the FINAL draft and she did it effortlessly and beautifully! She captures what you really mean when sometimes you have a difficult time putting it in words. She also keeps up to date on grammar rules. The papers and my writing projects always turned out polished and professional sounding. I highly recommend her.
Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Lisa helped polish and improve my book proposal with edits and suggestions that were of a keen eye and a very strong literary sensibility. I would happily work with her again.