[Alex Pepple]

A great review of Melissa Balmain's Walking in on People, winner of the 2013 Able Muse Book Award (Able Muse Press), is in the latest Valparaiso Poetry Review, here.

Congrats, Melissa!

...Alex

[Susan McLean]

Excellent review of a delightful work.

Susan

[Ed Shacklee]

There's a lot of well-deserved praise here (i.e., "Balmain has a gift for clever word play and for last-line reversals that elicit responses ranging from gasps to belly laughs.") that's absolutely blurb-ready. I'd bet a nickel, though, that Melissa's favorite phrase was "Four urine-soaked lines later. . ."

When he said that, "Despite her modesty, she is among the most accomplished poets writing light verse today," the reviewer hit the nail right on the head. Walking in on People is a really funny book.

Best,

Ed

[Melissa Balmain]

Thanks so much, Alex, Susan and Ed! This was a nice surprise. (And you're right, Ed, I did like that line. The one about "sharing one's bed with another burping, farting body" was good too.)

[Janice D. Soderling]

This may well turn out to be a classic. Good review in a good place.

[epigone]

I'm popping in just to let people know that the editor of VPR has kindly fixed some typos that marred the review.

It is a pleasure to be able to write positive reviews of strong books and to have those reviews appreciated by well-informed readers.
Jeremy