13 Poets from Long Island

FEATURING POETRY BY 2025 FRENCH LEGION d'HONNEUR RECIPIENT VICTORIA BJORKLUND! FINALIST, 2023 AMERICAN BOOK FEST BEST BOOK AWARDS FOR BEST FICTION AND POETRY ANTHOLOGIES! "A wild ride through a poetic landscape of trauma, tradition, and whimsy . . . This diverse collection celebrates the power of poetry, blending emotional unburdening with joyful wordplay" -- Kirkus Reviews "As wide-ranging as the life experiences of the authors . . . Rather than tidy revelations about human existence, this collection offers a rousing worship of life" -- BookLife by Publishers Weekly "With its rich voices, creative use of language, evocative themes, and innovative styles, this anthology is a must-read for anyone seeking to explore the boundless possibilities of contemporary poetry" -- Reader Views, 5-Star Gold Medal Review "At its best, the collection touches on greatness . . . 13 Poets from Long Island has plenty to amuse and provoke thought among lovers of poetry" -- IndieReader "This anthology offers variety, playfulness, deep thoughts, and no small amount of joy" -- Independent Book Review "Skillfully written and beautifully assembled, this anthology offers poems that come alive with emotions and melody" -- Cynthia Shor, Executive Director, Walt Whitman Birthplace Association Edited by national award-winning journalist and author John A. Valenti 3rd and former Nassau County Poet Laureate Evelyn Kandel, this collection includes the work of inspiring amateur poets Hattie Abbey, Hank Bjorklund, Victoria Bjorklund, Lila Edelkind, John Lange, George Pafitis, Gladys Thompson Roth, Sheila Saferstein, George Strausman, Susan Aster Wallman and Judith Zilberstein. This amazing collection of poets -- including two centenarians; an award-winning reporter who was an applicant for the NASA Journalist in Space Project; an NFL running back on New York Jets teams with Joe Namath; a world traveler who's been to the Arctic and Antarctica; a Hungarian refugee whose family escaped the Holocaust and, later, Soviet rule; a philosopher who got a ventriloquism lesson from future Tonight Show legend Johnny Carson; a poet who met President Bill Clinton, acted with Love Boat captain Gavin MacLeod and slept on a resort mattress once graced by Marilyn Monroe and Joltin' Joe DiMaggio; and, a co-founder of Doctors Without Borders U.S.A. -- met in a class taught by Kandel, a former U.S. Marine who appeared on a 1952 U.S. Postage Stamp featuring "Women in Our Armed Services." Their work inspires, covering a wide array of subjects -- love, life, death, age, homelessness, gun violence, philosophical debate and a range of off-the-cuff fun and amusement. Executive Director of the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association Cynthia Shor said of 13 Poets from Long Island: "Enter and you will be captivated with a multitude of inspirational origins - from Penn Station to Poseidon's briny kingdom, from Marilyn Monroe's mattress to a murder of crows, from bitter herbs to blackboards. One poet asks if the beginning of a poem is a word whispered in a dream, while another finds a poem in a garden of verses. Skillfully written and beautifully assembled, this anthology offers poems that come alive with emotions and melody . . . " "Whether contemplating history, war, marriage, or the handiness of a narwhal tusk in fighting off one's enemies, the poems largely reflect both the times in which we live and the sensibilities of the individual poets" -- Kirkus Reviews