Rainstorms & Fairies
by: Carol Atkins: photography by Sharron Lemmer
Published by: Sharol Books
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Reviewer: C. L. Rossman
Here is a rare and beautiful book—a blend of one writer’s poems and one photographer’s photos, one picture per poem, trying to capture the essence of the words.
The poet, Carol Atkins, has been writing news columns for 40 years and poetry for longer than that. She lives in northern Michigan and has been honored by receiving the Athena Award for women’s achievement in her native Manistee. In October 2008, she was recently inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. She worked for decades on women’s rights and establishing shelters for abused women in Michigan.
Her colleague, Sharron Lemmer, is a photography enthusiast. She met Atkins at a League of Women Voters’ meeting and had the idea of putting her photos and Atkins’ poetry together in one volume.
The result, Rainstorms & Fairies, is a polished little hardcover book which includes both of their work. The title comes from a story Atkins’ mother used to tell, about how, every time a raindrop splashes down, a fairy is born. And the matching photo to the title poem, sure enough, shows the translucent shape of a fairy emerging from the rain.
But this work is more than just “pretty” poems and pictures. It’s also tough-minded and provocative. Read “Woman Coming into Age,” for example, or “The Door,” and you’ll see what I mean. One of my favorites is “Lessons in Logic,” where a teacher says, “I see the barn. The barn is red;” and the poet replies, “I see the barn, the barn is red…I see a woman, beaten small, with wormy dreams in her head…I see red;” and goes on to present two very different views. And a poem like “The Doe,” will leave you gasping at its double-barreled audacity, a comment on hunting and deer alike.
What’s inside these covers will give you something to ponder for a long time to come.
Armchair Interviews says: Topnotch words and images that combine for a stunning little book.
Sharol Books is an independent publisher based in northern Michigan, specializing in works by local writers and artists. http://www.SharolBooks.com
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