Kelli Allen

The old gods only ask for forgiveness when watching from too far a distance. They guess and risk and let their furred ankles meet a finger's shaky tip. In our looking up and inward, we, too, construct a primeval forest populated by winding rows of tiger lilies imagined in a lover's nautical ear where shipwrecks line beaches made of nickel and iron. Here, hunger comprises both soil and canopy, and little escapes the hourglass's rough rim. The poems in this collection are meant for such appetites. Images do not just leap from line to line, they duck and burrow between pages, careful to reveal their earnestness only to those with mouths open wide. Banjo's Inside Coyote is a book of questions--those meant to remind us to stay longer in the mossy Inn and listen close to stories we should not soon forget. In every port, one barstool will host a long wagging tail. If we follow its swing to spine to throat to snout, we will notice teeth spread broad in a smile, in a welcome and warning. Answers are risky. They are propelled by lust and hope for beauty, by something like a winged raft too quick down a trickster's river. The poems in Kelli Allen's third full length collection ask us to curl our tongues past the lips we lick for salt, the ones we part when asking for longer here, in this place of pirate flags and slick bellies still hot under busy palms. These are poems for what we offer inside-out, for whomever might be waiting on the shore.

Some Animals details Kelli Allen's unique perspective on how everyday women handle different kinds of relationships. With allusions to animals and nature woven through each poem, this gives the entire collection an almost dream-like or fantastical feel. Whether she is trying to handle the death of a loved one, a fight or an everyday moment, she manages to slip into the female psyche while pulling the reader along with her.

This generation of students has more resources available at their fingertips than any other generation before them! As a society, we are all reveling in the freedom of choice. We have the choice to get just about anything tailored to our exact needs and wants. It has happened in everything from "Have it Your Way" fast food campaigns to customized cell phone plans. It only makes sense for students to be given choices in how they learn by individualizing and personalizing their education. For years, educators have known that all students learn by different means, but finally we are beginning to individualize learning for our students. Yes ! Can:Shows you how students can reach higher achievement when getting to choose what activities they prefer to reinforce the content being learned, while utilizing current technological applications and lessons that are tailored to their personal learning styles.Utilizes the learning style strengths of individual students on a daily basis to ultimately master the indications on the local, state and master level.Will engage students in practicing indispensible workplace, decision-making and team-building skills.