Life Poetry

Surround Yourself is a gentle and uplifting story that shows children happiness is not something they have to wait for but something they can choose every day. Award-winning author Mona Liza Santos invites young listeners to slow down, notice the beauty around them, and find joy in life’s simplest moments. Through soft rhymes, children learn how small choices such as the friends they keep, the kindness they share, and the moments they treasure can fill their world with light.

Composed around 1294 in Italian, the Vita Nuova tells the story of Dante's encounters with and love for Beatrice, culminating in her early death and its effect upon him. Utilizing and developing the conventions of courtly love, in a mixture of prose and verse, Dante deepens the emotional content of the genre, while pointing the way towards the intellectual and spiritual journey of the Divine Comedy.

Life experiences are unique and inestimable. And exactly those values I aimed to capture in my poems. Life could be an adventure, a dream, an illusion, or endless love. Travel in Time is not only a collection of poems, it is for you as a listener an experience into a new world, into the world of romantic imagery.

Take a journey to a simpler time with poems that bring out the BEST in you.

Rosemary Sansum, author of Garden of Dreams, Pathways to Paradise, Forever Loved and most recently, When Dreams Whisper, breaks fresh ground in this new collection of verse. Here, Rosemary exhibits an ability to scare as well as touch, to reflect upon life's good times and bad, and still find time for some good old-fashioned flights of fancy.

In this story the child is invited on a journey where the narrator must find courage to take on a new challenge. The Animal Kingdom characters of Bravery and Bolder are called in to assist and model strength for the child. "The Away Cast” plays on the meanings of the word "cast." It is used as term for the cast of a play and also as a to examine the idea of the fear related to being "cast out." The story unfolds with the narrator auditioning for a play even though it creates some anxiety and discomfort.

This is an account of a life lived online. Swiping for approval. Scrolling for gratification. Searching for connection. From the glow of a screen in the middle of the night, to the harsh glare of the hospital waiting room, Validate Me, is a raw and honest look at the highs and the lows of a digital life.

When little Zanna's oldest brother died just before Christmas, she was left with the gift she had made for him - a picture that only he would have understood. Every Christmas, Zanna's gift is brought out and displayed as a way of including their lost brother in the celebration. This is the story of the life of that family, and of the many gifts they gave each other that could only be understood with love.

Did you know that Paul Laurence Dunbar originated such famous lines as "I know why the caged bird sings" and "We wear the mask that grins and lies"? From his childhood in poverty and his early promise as a poet through his struggles to find acceptance as a writer and his tumultuous romance with his wife, to his immense fame and his untimely death, Dunbar's story is one of triumph and tragedy.

Isabella Castaspella, the happy little witch known as Izzy, just flew into town...and she’s here to cast a happy little spell on you! Isabella Castaspella tells the story of Izzy’s struggles with Lavinia LaMeanie, a nasty witch who is always trying to make life miserable for Izzy and her friends. Join Izzy and her friends as they use the magic of kindness, imagination, and love in their battle against the mean bully, Lavinia LaMeanie.

"Moving, amusing, and thought-provoking" are regular comments–I give everything when performing Beyond Poetry, and it is not unusual for me to receive spontaneous hugs from audience members after the performance!

Meet the married Dads, the divorced Dads, the widowed Dads and the gay Dads; the gamblers, the firemen, the bankers, the nurses, the soldiers and the milkmen. They’re trying to guide their sons through the foothills of childhood into the bewildering uplands of adulthood. But it’s hard to know if they’re doing it right. Or what their sons’ mothers think... Wise and funny, touching and true, What We’re Teaching Our Sons is for anyone who has ever wondered how to be a grown-up.

Anke’s father is abusive. But not to her. He attacks her brother and sister, but she’s just an invisible witness in a house of horrors, on the brink of disappearing altogether. Until she makes the volleyball team at school. At first just being exhausted after practice feels good, but as Anke becomes part of the team, her confidence builds. When she learns to yell “Mine!” to call a ball, she finds a voice she didn’t know existed. For the first time, Anke is seen and heard.

Anikwa and James, 12 years old in 1812, spend their days fishing, trapping, and exploring together in the forests of the Indiana Territory. To Anikwa and his family, members of the Miami tribe, this land has been home for centuries. As traders, James' family has ties to the Miami community as well as to the American soldiers in the fort. Now tensions are rising - the British and American armies prepare to meet at Fort Wayne for a crucial battle, and Native Americans from surrounding tribes gather in Kekionga to protect their homeland.

Written in free verse, Hidden is a compelling tale about an unlikely friendship between two girls. Darra Monson and Wren Abbott first cross paths when Darra’s deadbeat dad is arrested for theft and kidnapping after he steals a car - unaware that Wren was sitting in the back. Years later, the girls - now teens - attend the same summer camp, and are forced to confront the fateful event that changed their lives.

From award-winning Irish author Meg Grehan comes an accessible and beautifully crafted middle-grade novel-in-verse about Stevie, a young girl reckoning with anxiety about the many things she has yet to understand - including her feelings about her friend Chloe.

What I Wish I Was Told, Part 2 is a sequel to Dr. Todd Gewant's first book of poetry. Dr. Gewant continues to explore valuable lessons in life pertaining to ending racism, promoting equality and self-esteem, keeping commitments, and realizing a better life for everyone in a more just and peaceful world.

In this story the child is invited on a journey where inner strength reigns supreme and shines through all fear, doubt, and concern. “The There Barely” offers a standing invitation to the child. The hunt is the beginning of an adventure that the child will naturally join in pursuit. The Child will be fascinated with the opportunity to see themselves as the strong, independent and fierce individual that they are. The child will learn that there is always hope, light, and support for them in their own internal Self.

Fathers Day Quotes: From a Wife to Her Husband: The Love of My Life is a soul-stirring collection of over 500 original, non-repetitive quotes written from the perspective of a devoted wife to her beloved husband and family’s father.

Embark on a poetic journey through life's profound moments in this captivating collection. From the picturesque landscapes of Chilliwack to the resilient spirit forged on a Nisku farm, the author's poetry beautifully unfolds a narrative of sensitivity, resilience, and hope. Explore the diverse emotions of hardship, joy, love, and faith, interwoven with the healing power of nature, animals, and the profound influence of God and religion.