I’m so excited to have your new book! When I read your poetry, it’s always in your voice. You have the most dramatic, passionate delivery and I hear that in my head when reading your writing. Looking forward to finishing the collection. Oh – and the collages enhance the volume further. I particularly like the image, on page 99, where the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge seem to be played like a harp. Thanks for the visions, all.
—MADELINE BROCHESTER AUGONNET (AMAZON.COM)
This recent book by Valery Oisteanu is one to be savored. While the collages may be a feast for the eyes, it is the poems that nourish the soul. My approach has been to open the book and randomly celebrate the work of this talented author/artist. Some of his writing allowed me to join in his travels while other poems found me grieving the loss of his dear colleagues. I found solace in dealing with the death of friends to the Covid virus by combining lines from his tribute poems to Steve D and Steve C – “a hole in my soul…will haunt us until the day we die.”
His poems are truly though-provoking and deserve more than one reading. This morning’s random opening found me reading one of his poems about the pandemic with its reassuring reminder “this is just an intermission.” If you are already a fan of his work, this new collection is a gift. If the author/artist is new to you, his work is a treasure whether you read it in one sitting or delight in random readings.
—Margaret O’Farrell, amazon.com