“Mama’s Suitcase” Slide Show by Carol Cole Lewis
Carol created this slide show from family archival photos I sent her. These photos play over my reading of “Mama’s Suitcase” from “Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music.”
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Book Raves for “Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music.”
Kendra Bonnett reviews “Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music” on Women’s Memoirs Book Raves. Here’s an excerpt from her review: Although Sightlines is very personal, the reader is not left outside to be a distant observer, peering through a cracked door or listening at the keyhole. The reader recognizes the history, the…
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“Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary,” 5 star review by Valerie J. Brooks on Good Reads
Valerie’s review rating: 5 of 5 stars bookshelves: highly-recommend status: Read in July, 2008 Janet Grace Riehl writes with the honesty, openness and heart of someone who deeply loves life, but is not shy at hitting, straight on, the messes we have to clean up or the sorrows we must bear. Her collection, “diary” as…
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Robson Reviews Riehl’s “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary”…(from Resident Media Pundit)
The poetry collection “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary” by Janet Riehl is a soaring, poignant homage to family, sorrow, and the rebirth that comes with pain and loss. Written after the death of her sister in a tragic automobile accident, Riehl cobbled together her father’s mournful poems as well as her own and set out to…
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“Sightlines” graces Unitarian book group
Janet Riehl with “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary” Marcy Burns has been a “friend of the book” since Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary” came out in 2006. She found it through Dan Poynter’s list, reviewed it, and set about becoming a friend of the book, my work, and me. On my trip to Riverside last winter [click…
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Creative Outing, Lake County California-style: John Frary and Nan’s Hopland Grade Journey to buy a copy of “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary”—and to see what they could see
One of my greatest pleasures in being an author and having my book “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary” out in the world is hearing from readers. This note and two beautiful photos of one of my homeplaces, Lake County, Northern California, arrived from John Frary recently. I was so touched that I wanted to share it.—JGR…
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Flying on Julia’s 65th birthday, up there in the sky together—I’m writing thank you notes: this one’s for you.
For me, family dates are engraved on my heart. March 13th will ever be Julia’s day. Will ever be my sister’s birthday. She lives within us, and curiously, seems to age right along with us. On this birthday, and every birthday, she lives beyond her death day. In 2005 on the first birthday after Julia’s…
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Snowbound: Filling the Feeder (a new poem by Janet Grace Riehl)
A foot of snow atop our bluff: Evergreen Heights, Jersey Township, SW Illinois. Mother, that which you filled and then emptied, we fill again as best we can. Your chair hold us at the wheelhouse hub, yet a glance windowward unfolds and holds worlds beyond. This morning’s world insulated in a snowy rug. Cardinal families…
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Erwin A. Thompson’s 1936 song “Girl in the Little Blue Hat” coquettes again Valentine’s week 2008
In 1936, when my father was 21, he wrote a song for Sherman Bowen’s younger sister, Lucille, that came to be titled “The Girl in the Little Blue Hat.” Lucille was sixteen when he composed the song, but had been perhaps eight-years-old when my father started dancing square dances with her at Ben Hill’s dances…
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Writers in the Sky February Newsletter presents Riehl’s poem “Window Frame” from “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary”
Yvonne Perry of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services asked me to send her a poem for her February newsletter. Click here to read the entire newsletter. I sent an excerpt from WINDOW FRAME originally published in “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary” and dedicated to my mother Ruth Evelyn Johnston Thompson (January 4, 1916-May 1,…