Poetry Commentary

Du Fu (712-70) is one of China’s greatest poets. His career coincided with periods of famine, war and huge upheaval, yet his secular philosophical vision, combined with his empathy for the common folk of his nation, ensured that he soon became revered. Like Shakespeare or Dante, his poetry resonates in a timeless manner that ensures it is always relevant and offers something new to the modern generation. Broadcaster and historian Michael Wood follows in his footsteps to try to understand the places that inspired Du Fu to write some of the most famous and best-loved poetry the world has known.

This chilling tale of a gruesome monster unleashed into the world by an unthinking scientist was first conceived by 19-year-old Mary Shelley on a dark, rainy night on Lake Geneva. Lord Byron and Percy Shelley challenged their friends to see who could come up with the most horrifying story imaginable. Mary Shelley did, terrifying them all with her nightmare-inspired tale. It is followed by "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge which was an early haunting influence on the young Mary Shelley.

Rain in the Mountains brings together some of Ruskin Bond’s most beautiful works from his years spent in the foothills of the Himalayas in the town of Mussoorie. Through vivid images and lucid writing, Bond evokes the everyday sights and sounds, and captures the essence of mountain life. The musings on his natural habitat, in both prose and poetry, offer a view of that simple and affable world. Some of his writings featured in the book include: "Once Upon a Mountain Time", "Sounds I Like to Hear", "How Far Is the River" and "After the Monsoon".

Despite its economic conditions and poverty, Zimbabwe enchants, calls, and satisfies. Zimbabwe offers much opportunity for spiritual growth for the serious traveler.

Before he became an award-winning writer and poet, Brian Sonia-Wallace set up a typewriter on the street with a sign that said “Poetry Store” and discovered something surprising: All over America, people want poems. An amateur busker at first, Brian asked countless strangers, “What do you need a poem about?” To his surprise, passersby opened up to share their deepest yearnings, loves, and heartbreaks. Hundreds of them. Then thousands. Around the nation, Brian’s poetry crusade drew countless converts from all walks of life.

I appreciate I am a fortunate person. I love to travel and I adore writing poems. Happily, I am able to combine the two in many of my poetry books. For this collection I travelled further and explored deeper than ever before. You can hold the results in your very hands. I always see my stories as glimpses into moments of time, rather like seeds trapped in amber, windows offering a view into past events and places I have been.

Kimberly Beyer-Nelson, who holds a master's degree in comparative religion, is a nationally published poet and author. She takes the listener on a very different kind of Biblical journey, one based in the language of poetry, intuition, and unity. Pulling from Sufi, Sikh, Buddhist, and Vedantic philosophy, her poetry illuminates the universal and human elements that makes all great scripture timeless.