WB Burkholder's review of Mice Verses Man

WB Burkholder from Troubadour21 magazine did a great review of my book recently. Thanks a lot Bill, I appreciate your words!

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As a contributing editor for Troubadour21, I have had the unique privilege of being able to read and comment on new works of poetry, art, music, and photography. I am constantly amazed at the well spring of talent that exists and continues to emerge on its pages.
One such talent that has come to light in recent months is that of R Jay Slais, author of Mice Verses Man. This collection of poetry is R Jay’s first undertaking and it comes to us in a finely crafted volume published by Big Table Publishing.
Within its forty pages we enter the world of a single father raising two teenage children, the mourning of lost moments, and lost loves. The reader finds themselves behind the eyes of this author and with him, they witness and re-experience the moments and cacophonic renderings of a single life lived, remembered, and conveyed through the voice of a seasoned, talented poet.
In some ways, the title of this volume is somewhat disarming; it does not prepare the reader for what they are about to experience within its pages. However the reader will not be disappointed.
From title cover to the back page the reader is given the gift of insight as well as reflection of one very talented poet. All too often, we tend to look past the greatest gifts that stand in front of us, those that become the most evident. Within the words of R Jay Slais and among the pages of Mice Verses Man these gifts abound in great numbers.
The voice of this poet sings the lamentations of typical man, the everyday man however, it comes to us in the form of a unique echo; one that resonates within us and only comes from the Poet, R Jay Slais. Yes there is the rendering of a man’s heartbreak, the conveyance of his tears upon the pages but also, the gift of hope and strength. This author has weathered these storms, and it is to the reader’s benefit, for what has come from his experiences has been conveyed to us in a superbly written collection of sights, sounds, all gifted to us through the passionate heartbeat of this poet.
Troubadour21 highly recommends Mice Verse Man and gives R Jay Slais and his first collection of poetry a T21 rating of five stars.
To obtain a copy of Mice Verses Man you can contact, www.bigtablepublishing.com or contact the author directly at Rjay61@comcast.net.
Mice Verses Man: ISBN 978-0-9842473-2-5 R Jay Slais

Lanie Shanzyra Rebancos Review of Mice Verses Man

Lanie Shanzyra Rebancos posted a review of Mice Verses Man yesterday of her blog. Thanks so much Lanie! I am very honored by the words you have wrote and glad you enjoyed my work.

Here is her review copy/pasted:

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Mice Verses Man
By R Jay Slais
Big Table Publishing Company

One Of A Kind.

Mice Verses Man by R Jay Slais is one of the best poetry chapbooks I’ve ever read. As a poet myself, I can see and feel the emotions set on every word Mr. Slais put into his poetry. He pictures every poem with vivid images that you can actually feel and touch the person on it. Every poem written has its own life, breathing its own beauty from one page to another.

Some of my favorite poems are Nice Guys Always Finish, Middle of the Night We Weep, Love Solstice and The Search. Somehow in these selected poems, I can relate. There were incidences in my life that I saw it all happened again when I read these poems. It made me sigh and wonder how I was able to cope up with those things. Then the next thing I know, I’m reading his chapbook all over again.

The words used on his poetry are like songs entwined with magic. Mr. Slais proved his talents and magical charisma on his first chapbook of poetry. It is a magical journey, digging deep into the person’s emotions. Getting Mice Verses Man poetry chapbook is one of the best things you can do in your life-no regrets.

Mice Verses Man Released Today

My first book of poetry Mice Verses Man was officially released by Big Table Publishing Company today. Smiles!

If you're interested in getting a copy (you know you want it) travel here and either buy one from Robin at BTP or hit the Paypal button and I will send you a personally signed copy.

Thanks for reading and hope to hear from some of you. Thanks!!

Smiles!
R Jay

One poem at fourpaperletters

Many thanks to the fourpaperletters magazine editor Laura Isaacman for including my poem A Two Star Night in their January 1st issue.

This poem is part of my forthcoming book Mice Verses Man

It's a great new magazine, check it out!

Smiles!

Frosted Glass at Boston Literary Magazine - Winter 2009/2010

I have one poem just published in the Winter 2009/2010 issue of Boston Literary Magazine. This was accepted a few months ago and since then, the editor Robin has also accepted my Mice Verses Man manuscript for publication from her Big Table Publishing Company due out any day now. Thanks and thanks Robin and your BLM staff.

Smiles!

We All "Knead"

Knead

Love hate they say as if we are baking Sylvia bread,
head in an oven to watch the yeast rise.
Witness the moment the skin begins to brown,

when the odor wafts upon the window draft
like a ghost walking about room to room.
We look but can not see,

smell but do not inhale because we know inside
hate festers like pan drippings on the heating element;
you can not touch without getting burned.

After all, one who hates you perfectly,
moils without end to slice the lines that define you,
might be the one who can accept

everything you are made of,
the hard crust, the delicate insides,
and the crumbs that linger longer.



first published in Clockwise Cat Jan 2009

Latest Poetry Happenings

It's been a little slow on the poetry front mostly because I was putting a lot of time into getting my Mice Verses Man book ms and the galley perfected with the publisher so I wasn't submitting a whole lot during that time plus I have a few submissions that have been out for a couple months.

Anyway, I did hear back with a poem acceptance from a new lit mag called fourpaperletters for their January 2010 issue. Many thanks to the editor Laura Issacman. Looking forward to being a part of your magazine!

I also heard from editor Lori A. May from The Ambassador Poetry Project. A fairly new literary magazine based near the Detroit metro area named after the Ambassador Bridge. She accepted two of my poems for their March 2010 Spring issue. Thank you Lori! I hope to meet you some day too at a reading or whatever.

Since my last update, I also received two sets of rejections.

The publisher of my forthcoming book, Robin Stratton, shared one of the review excerps meant for the back cover of Mice Verses Man with me today. It's is from Steve Meador who has three fine poetry books out, all of which I own by the way, and also is the editor of the literary mag Hanging Moss Journal.

Here's his review. thanks Steve!

“R Jay Slais braids nature with humor and face-slapping reality that allows the reader to feel like a longtime friend. He is adept with language, structure and planting seeds of emotion, and one cannot help but feel lifted by 'January and all its newness is coming.'”
Steve Meador - author of Throwing Percy from the Cherry Tree

Winter is setting in here in Michigan. No snow here yet, but brrrrrrrr it is cold.

Smiles!