On Wednesday evening, I attended the launch of ‘Anomaly Street’, the 2025 Geelong Writers Anthology/Chapbook. Two of my poems appear in the collection, and I was honoured to recite A Malay Kris and A Cracked Brick Wall. The gathering was warm and welcoming, each reading revealing the diversity of voices within Geelong Writers. For me, the highlight was hearing my words resonate aloud among so many fine works. Holding my copy of Anomaly Street, I felt part of a living street of voices, distinct yet harmonising in community.
The poem is composed of comments/anecdotes I posted on some of my fellow WordPress writers’ articles from that time. In stanza order, they are.
Feature Image: Please note that my copy of the Geelong Writers Inc. Anthology 2024 was signed by the editor, Judy Rankin, and Judy is also the publisher/editor of my 3 books, Tullawalla, Perceptions, and Until Eyes Hear Sound.
A New Anthology (a Tanka)
Through rain, hail, or shine I am the messenger bird I’ve important news About the Anthology Don’t let the wires clip my wings
And here is my poem from the Geelong Writers Inc. Anthology
“On April 30th, we had the opportunity to get together to talk to each other, some for the first time! I enjoyed seeing, meeting, and talking to the people of Natures Discovered! Go team! 😊 Enjoy the video, everyone!” … Susi Bocks, editor. Whoops, I joined a few minutes late! … it was 3.00 am Thursday in Geelong!
Here are the two pieces that I read …
Finality
after we have consumed the leftover wine and desecrated the sundial’s shadow the dark-side of the moon will finally recede from view
Co-existence
Beneath the trees and bushes Lives an underground network Prospering on giving and receiving
This is the Final Day of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures Book Blog Tour: Kaye Booth, our editor, is wrapping up the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures Book Blog Tour. We’ve all had a great tour this past week Please click on the link below to read Kaye’s informative article.
This is Day 6 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures Book Blog Tour: Kay Castaneda is giving today’s presentation. It features DL Mullan reading her poem “Daybreak.” Please click on the link below to read Kay’s informative article.
Daybreak The heavy sky lightens. Night retreats. Illustrious topaz hues sharpen until the grand arc is a cascade of brilliant blue tones. Cloudless, the sea’s reflection smooths away any hint of the cosmic shroud. Behind the rays, stars slumber and planets wait. Yet, the moon hangs there: tranquil and sheer an unfinished watercolor, framed. Never ceases to reveal itself, the satellite balances the Earth and shifts the tides. Now, the once opaque sphere fades away; time reaffirms that this guardian too must conceal her mysteries. Although the waning gibbous departs, she remains our silent company throughout the constellations. Daylight irradiates. The waking world glows
This is Day 5 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures Book Blog Tour: Today’s presentation is by Michelle Ayon Navajas. It features Barbara Harris Leonhard reading her poem “Sleeping with Giants.” Please click on the link below to read Michelle’s excellent article. I assure you that her informative post is well worth reading.
Thank you to Carla for her fabulous Promotional Post about “our” Anthology, Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures Please click on the link below to read her entire article …
Picture Caption: WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures Tour Banner
Welcome to the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures Book Blog Tour. We have a great tour planned, and I hope you all will stick with us and visit each stop, because comments at each stop enter you for another chance to win one of three digital copies of Poetry Treasures 5 in our giveaway. We’ve got guest posts from contributors Michelle Ayon Navajas and Dawn Pisturino, readings from Barbara Harris Leonhard, Ivor Steven, and DL Mullen, and a special interview with Dawn Pisturino. Plus you may find a couple of early reviews from our wonderful tour hosts. So please join us and follow along on the schedule below to learn more about this outstanding poetry anthology and enjoy a few Small Pleasures.
Sun. 4/27 – Writing to be Read – (Wrap up) – Undawnted (Interview with Dawn Pisturino)
About Poetry Treasures 5: Simple Pleasures
Open the cover
and you will discover
Poetry Treasures
from the guests on
Robbie Cheadle’s 2024
“Treasuring Poetry”
blog series
on Writing to be Read.
Join poets DL Mullan, Barbara Harris Leonhard, Jude Itakali, Ivor Steven, Robbie Cheadle, Michelle Ayon Navajas, Gwen M. Plano, Elizabeth Gauffreau, David Bogomolny, Dawn Pasturino, Maggie Watson, and Colleen Chesebro share their own small pleasures in poetic verse.
This tour we’re giving away digital copies of Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures to three lucky winners. Follow the tour and comment at each stop, so we’ll know you were there. You’ll be entered for another chance in the giveaway at each stop. Winners are chosen through a random drawing by WordCrafter Press. We’ll be watching for your name.
Book Trailer
A special thanks goes out to Teagan Genevieve for our lovely book trailer. Thank you so much Teagan.
About the Editors
You will meet some of the contributors along the way on this tour, but in this opening day post, I’d like ton tell you a little about the editors who put this project together and made it happen. I also thought it might be interesting to share a brief glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes when putting together a poetry anthology, which I hope you’ll find of interest.
Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw,as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
My job is to edit the final manuscript, format and publish it. I find poetry to be a personal endeavor, so I do very little editing of the actual poems for fear of changing the poet’s meaning, since poetry often does not follow the rules of grammar and punctuation which apply to the English language. In addition, we have poets from all over the globe included in the anthology, which makes for variation in style and differences in spellings, so I pretty much leave the poetry as is unless it is something I know is a typo or mistaken word.
But the person who truly makes this anthology possible is my co-editor, Robbie Cheadle, who finds and schedules poets to be interviewed on the “Treasuring Poetry” blog series on Writing to be Read. It is Robbie who selects and interviews each poet, and she usually reviews their latest release, as well. Then, at the end of the year, Robbie sends out invitations to the anthology and collects and compiles all the materials into a manuscript before turning it over to me. Without Robbie to do all of the preliminary work, there would not be any Poetry Treasures Anthologies. I couldn’t do it without her.
Robbie Cheadle
South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
That’s it for today’s stop. I hope I gave you enough of a taste of this delectable poetry anthology to make you want to sample more. There are several more tasty morsels from then contributing authors along the way. Join us tomorrow, on Colleen Writes & Publishes, where author/poet Dawn Pisturino will share a guest post and poetry from Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures.
Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku, Releasing After Easter
I’m delighted to be part of the ensemble of poets featured in Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku, published by Literary Revelations Publishing House. This beautifully curated collection brings together the voices of over 240 haiku poets from around the world.
The anthology features stunning cover art by renowned Japanese painter Hikari and fine-art photography by acclaimed artist Naoki Kimura. Tranquility will be released soon after Easter—stay tuned!
Blurb:
Following the overwhelming success of «Petals of Haiku,» which captured hearts and souls and became an Amazon bestseller, Literary Revelations Publishing House brings you “Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku.” This new anthology will enchant the readers with its delicate imagery and transitory moments, which inscribe themselves in eternity. Featuring nearly 240 talented authors, each bringing their talent and unique perspectives, Tranquility invites you to immerse yourself in a world where night flowers bloom and whispers linger in the spring air.
Poets are prophets linked to nature. In Tranquility, Haiku is their language. – Gabriela Marie Milton, author, editor, publisher
Here is one of my Haiku from the Tranquility Anthology:
Angel
My tranquillity Has wings and glides in heaven Free like an angel
how do the rivers know they ebb and flow over old sandbars where footprints come and go fresh today, gone tomorrow lost under the currents of time dreams grow below clouds of hazy rain leaving new watermarks in their shadows
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 