Kirjahaku

Nature, home, family, the world at large: humanity migrates through the passage of time. A Scarcity of Feathers is a chronicle of one segment in this journey. It touches on current events, such as the Notre Dame Cathedral fire and the resurgence of hate in America. Primarily, it is a personal journey, spanning the contributions of the author's ancestors to her current life of home and family. Some of the themes that run through this collection of fifty-seven poems include the passage of time, the angelic verses human nature, love and hate, day to day events, and humanity's place in the natural world.

Sometimes a harvest is the bounty of fruits and vegetables. Sometimes it can be the achievement of one's goals. Suburban Harvest is an offering of words in the form of poetry and essays. Themes range from morsels of everyday life, such as sharing backyard citrus with friends, to death and politics. Through it all runs the threads of inspiration and creativity.

Enter a garden where colors burst and night passions bloom. Monet Corner is a collection of forty-one poems that express the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects love. Love is delivered as a first kiss at the sofa's edge. Love endures through a lifetime of sun, rain, children, and bills that pile up. Through it all there is excitement of the senses and a deep sense of peace.

Juncture 2020 is a collection of poetry spanning the years 2019 to 2021. During 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic brought worldwide changes isolating many in their homes and altering the way human beings interact. In the United States, many businesses closed down disrupting the economy. 2020 also brought Black Lives Matter marches and fierce political turmoil that raged around the Trump presidency and the 2020 presidential election. Yet, there were pockets of beauty in loving relationships and in the natural world. As it has always been, the world continues to change. In Junction 2020 Jennifer Engel has chronicled her experiences and observations during this pivotal time in America in the form of 40 poems. Her poetry is enhanced by the presence of photography of fellow artist and author, Tina Brady.

Onion Night is a collection of 42 poems that explore human experiences from the mundane act of puttering in the garden to conversations with one's deity. The reader will discover a world centered both on family and the interplay of humanity with nature. Twelve tarot-inspired poems are scattered throughout. Life and death, light and dark, joy and sickness, the natural world and social issues are all represented in Onion Night.

Wind Catcher is about the relationship between a daughter and her mother from conception to adulthood. As it is with all families there are both celebrations and issues to overcome. For Erin, living with a disabled brother from birth brings unique challenges. The road to love and acceptance of oneself as a woman is a journey that she must take. Take this journey with Erin and her mother as they learn from one another to create a nurturing bond that will last a lifetime and beyond.

Friendship, motherhood, the bounty of nature, mythology and the tarot are subjects explored in a series of poems found in Ritual, Sacred Moments in Everyday Life, written by Tina Brady and Jennifer Engel. The authors met and became friends in 2011 and soon discovered that they have a similar passion for poetry. They often read poetry together, bouncing ideas off one another and edit each other's work. This ultimately led to their collaboration on Ritual in 2015. In its unique format, Ritual contains 28 pairs of poems, one written by each author, on a similar subject. In Ritual, the reader will find personal visions on love and hate, life and death, the mundane world and a spiritual relationship with both the earth and the universe.

Raven in White Sneakers, a volume of forty-six poems, is the tenth book written by Jennifer Engel. The raven weaves in and out of this anthology, appearing in illustrations and verse at various points; she is present in spirit throughout the book. Like humans, the raven is a member of her society. She's a baby, a child, a mate, and a mother. She works diligently to feed and care for herself and her family. Although a common bird, she has sparked the imaginations of mankind for centuries with her iridescent black feathers her and tendency to feast on carrion. In mythology, the raven has been called a prophet, an informant, a walker between life and death, and in this collection of poetry, she becomes a symbol for inspiration in the life of the author.