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Life’s Transience
Exits is a collection of poems that moves in and out of nature, memory, and mortality with a sharp eye and an unflinching voice. What inspired you to write this particular collection of poems?
Nearly all of the poems in Exits were written between 2003 and 2021, before the idea of authoring a book ever came to mind. Three years ago, I decided to incorporate what I considered to be my best work into a book entitled Line Drawings. However, during the process of selecting poems, I noticed that a substantial number were related to various aspects of mortality. This led me to curate a more concise, themed collection, and Exits was born.
How did you decide on the themes that run throughout your poetry book?
I think my focus on life’s transience — the finite nature of our biological selves — derives from three sources. First, I was raised without any religious training, so from a very young age, I was left on my own to ponder the enormity of the universe, time and eternity, and the meaning of existence. I remember being cognizant of death as early as age five. Second, as a physician and neuro-ophthalmologist, I’ve cared for numerous patients with serious and/or life-threatening diseases. And third, since 1999, I’ve had to deal with the spinal cord variant of multiple sclerosis and the ramifications of that disease.
Did you write these poems with a specific audience in mind, or was it a more personal endeavor?
During the writing process, the intended audience was always me, or, to be more precise, the facsimile of me that constantly looks over my shoulder and critiques every word I draft. The word ecstasy comes to mind. It captures the elation I feel when a line finally comes together, but it derives from the Greek ek stasis ― to stand outside of oneself.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with writing for a defined audience, or respecting the conventions of a particular genre, or exploring themes and issues that are currently in the public eye. My approach happens to be different. What matters most to me are the words on the page, how they sound in air, and meeting the standards I set for myself.
What did you learn about yourself through writing this book?
The lessons I learned while writing the poems and designing the book (which are outlined below) may be of benefit to other debut authors and/or emerging writers:
- Write poems that reflect your unique aesthetic sensibilities. Try not to be overly influenced by prevailing trends or by contemporary poetic styles.
- Edit mercilessly over an extended period. Satisfying first drafts often begin to show their flaws only after sufficient time has elapsed to afford an objective assessment.
- Begin your foray into publication by submitting poems to literary journals. This will help you determine which of your poems resonates with experienced reviewers. Before each submission, make sure that your poem is a good fit for the journal.
- Be patient. Practically every aspect of the publication process moves more slowly than expected.
- Be persistent. Exits went through twenty-two revisions over the course of a year before I felt it was ready for publication.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
We live our lives counting moments, those we hope will last forever, and those we fear. In Exits, award-winning poet Stephen C. Pollock transforms these moments into sublime and magical music. With language both intimate and powerful, he explores the fragility of life, the cyclical truths of nature, and the mysteries of renewal that arise from even the darkest places.
Each poem is paired with evocative artwork, creating an immersive reading experience that lingers long after the final page. From myth to mourning, from dreams to decline, and from flora and fauna to the warming of our world, Exits reminds us that beauty is never far from loss, and that every departure leaves a door ajar.
Winner of the 2024 North Street Book Prize for Poetry, the 2023 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal, and seventeen other literary honors, Exits is a masterful collection for those who believe that poems should move you, stay with you, and change the way you look at life.
Step into these pages. Lose yourself in poetry that’s both technically exquisite and emotionally arresting. And discover why every exit is, in its own way, an entrance.
Find a Balance
Journal of a Black Man is a lyrical exploration of Black identity in British Columbia, weaving together themes of love, faith, family, and resilience against systemic inequities. Why was this an important book for you to publish?
It was an important book for me to publish because Black people in Canada, especially in British Columbia, make up a very small proportion of the overall population. Therefore, I had to inform people about the things that we truly face. Visitors are often sold the glitz and glamor of the country, and while Canada is definitely beautiful, there are many dark moments. Also, there are a lot of things that I personally experienced, such as love. Overall, the start of the year had been tough for me, and I only made it through with family, faith, and resilience, which is why I highlighted those themes.
Many poems balance vulnerability with strength. How do you navigate writing about pain without letting it overshadow joy?
I navigated between the themes of joy and pain by understanding that there will be bright moments and there will be dark moments. Life isn’t perfect, but I know that I had to find a balance that I was truly happy with.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Some themes that were important to me in this book were migration, love, the nuclear family, faith, and resilience.
What do you hope readers carry with them after sitting with your words?
I hope that readers truly enjoy the book, but what I really want them to understand is that nothing is truly what it seems. Be careful with each opportunity.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
I allow you to see my feelings,
I am vulnerable…
This powerful fifth collection from prolific poet Marlo Browne is an exercise in vulnerability. He
exposes personal feelings about the Black experience in Canada, his adopted home.
Topics touched on in this work include the high incidence of missing youth in provinces like
Ontario, prevalence of drug use and abuse in Ontario, exploitation within the migration process,
biases in the workplace, and more.
Experience vulnerability in a bold new way within the pages of JOURNAL OF A BLACK MAN
today!
Bridges of Words: Haikus Uniting Cultures From 57 Countries of the World
Bridges of Words is a journey stitched together in three short lines at a time. Esperanza Pretila gathers scenes, scents, and sounds from across the globe, distilling them into haiku that act as tiny postcards of the human spirit. From the cherry blossoms of Japan to the samba rhythms of Brazil, from Norway’s fjords to the deserts of Saudi Arabia, each poem captures the mood of a place without overexplaining. It’s a chorus of cultures, all humming the same song of connection and shared humanity.
I found myself reading this slowly, not because it was hard, but because each haiku lingered. The brevity makes you pay attention. Some verses felt like quick Polaroids, others like whispered secrets from the past. The restraint in the writing works well. It never tries too hard to be profound, yet it often lands that way.
What I liked most is how the book manages to be both intimate and universal. The voice is warm, almost like a travel companion who notices the little things others might miss. A few haiku didn’t hit me as strongly, they slipped by too softly, but even those had a role in shaping the overall rhythm. The dedication and acknowledgments at the start also set a deeply personal tone, reminding you that this is not just about places, but about the people and lives behind them.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry that travels light yet carries weight. It’s perfect for readers who appreciate slow moments, quiet reflection, and the beauty of small things. If you’ve ever wanted to tour the world without leaving your chair, or if you just need a gentle reminder that we’re all connected, these bridges of words are worth crossing.
Pages: 130 | ASIN : B0FHVTBSQ8
Words Are Powerful
WORDS TO THINK. OR TO SING. is a collection of poetic meditations delivered in short verses, reflections, and fragments resembling journal entries. What inspired you to write this particular collection of poems?
Words to Think. Or to Sing. was created to connect pop music lovers, curious minds, thoughtful people, and poetic souls through sonorous art, right from its earliest stage. Music artists usually keep their process mostly private while creating, maybe occasionally sharing some behind-the-scenes after everything is ready and available to stream. I wanted to offer a glimpse into my mind and soul from the beginning of the story in an original, special manner instead, and thought that poetic parts of my pop songs in progress, paired with little insights about their meanings, would be a great way to introduce myself.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in putting together this poetry collection?
This publication actually consists of lyric excerpts from pop songs I plan to release one at a time, so it can’t be considered a traditional, classic poetry collection. Modern poetry felt like the closest category to classify it. The biggest challenge lay exactly in this multifaceted nature. Although my songwriting style in general could be described as minimalistic, poetic, and relatable, I had to choose which passages worked well as stand-alone excerpts that could best support this concept of teasing songs while inspiring self-reflection and conversations through selected snippets.
How do you approach writing about deeply personal or emotional topics?
When something catches my attention longer than usual, whether positive or not, I often start to play with words to describe what the situation means to me. It feels like processing or closure, which then, when explored further, can become tuneful. From there, some of these ideas might turn into song concepts, lyric excerpts, and one day, songs to stream. In doing so, I like to use deep but accessible metaphors which come from living life with an open heart and mind. That is my biggest inspiration. For instance, in the excerpt called VANISH, which is about unfulfilled, fading written promises, you can find a delicate interplay between light and rain symbolizing the alternating moments of healing or relief and the recurring storm inside. While both sunlight and tempests consume that piece of paper keeping those promises present and alive, time passes and the words fade as the mind finds its peace. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I hope you will get the chance to read it and maybe one day, even sing some of your favorite lines together with me at the top of our lungs. I think it’s a pretty cool perspective to know that the book is not the end, but just the beginning. Other authors write sequels. I do songs and artistic multimedia concepts from the shared fragments of this work.
How has this collection changed you as a writer, or what did you learn about yourself through writing it?
Deciding to curate and publish this book first, instead of following the usual song-release model, is another testament that I’m not the type for those rushed rides the industry is used to, nor to support a fast-food art approach. That’s why I’m inviting everyone interested to join me in this unique evolving music journey instead. Words are powerful, and if set to music, they become even more memorable and emotional. I want them to linger a little longer and deeply connect with those resonating with all this. Music has always been profoundly meaningful and empowering to me. I would be more than glad and truly honored to become a long-time companion to the readers.
Author Links: GoodReads | Websites
Not with the words, not with the melody, but with a feeling.
Becoming a vision, becoming lines, becoming a complete piece of sonorous truth meant to be shared to unite people who resonate with it.
A mystical, fascinating process you can now be part of.
INTENSIA, a new heartfelt, poetic singer songwriter likely to belong with your favorite pop music companions, is turning the traditional release model upside down, inviting you to look into her soul and mind before anyone else.
Be among the first to witness this spark before her distinctive voice echoes through the world. This unique approach offers an unprecedented glimpse into evolving art, so you can feel and enjoy the essence of her songs before they are even complete.
Dive into this curated collection of lyric excerpts and emotional snapshots from pop songs in progress. Each piece stands on its own as a modern, poetic message, paired with brief reflections about the meaning or emotions behind the words.
It is more than something to read. It is a space to pause, reflect, and connect, with room for your thoughts and reflections too. Write what moves you, what you feel, what you dream. This book and its songs to be are meant to accompany you wherever you go.
For even more space to express yourself, the companion notebook PLACE TO THINK. OR TO WRITE. (ISBN 978-3-911445-02-3) is available as a dedicated space.
WORDS TO THINK. OR TO SING. out 26 June 2025 on Amazon. Paperback (ISBN 978-3-911445-00-9), eBook (ISBN 978-3-911445-01-6).
Join INTENSIA’s free Intense Inside Club at http://www.intensia.music and discover this special music developing experience as it unfolds, where connection begins as songs come to life.
#intensiawords
WORDS TO THINK. OR TO SING.
Intensia’s Words to Think. Or to Sing. is a collection of poetic meditations that bounce between philosophy, humor, identity, and raw emotion. Structured as a notebook of short verses, reflections, and fleeting thoughts, the book offers a tapestry of lyrical fragments that read like journal entries or inner monologues caught mid-thought. It doesn’t follow a clear narrative. Instead, it invites the reader to wander, pause, laugh, and ponder. The voice shifts freely, sometimes abstract, sometimes punchy, often surprising. At its heart, this book is a dance between the silly and the sacred, the vulnerable and the absurd.
I enjoyed how unfiltered it all felt. There’s this wild honesty in the way the author jumps from introspective sadness to cheeky self-mockery. One line made me laugh. Another hit me hard. And somehow, they sat right next to each other like old friends. I love when a book doesn’t try to be tidy. This one doesn’t even pretend. It’s messy in a good way. It feels like real thought, like someone actually thinking on the page instead of crafting perfect poetry. That made it feel alive. The kind of alive that’s a little chaotic and a little beautiful.
Some bits felt so random I had to reread them three times to decide if they meant something. And I liked that feeling, though I imagine it could drive other readers nuts. There’s no clear plot, no through-line, and the tone switches gears fast. I personally enjoy that kind of unpredictability. It reminded me of flipping through a notebook someone left behind on a park bench, strange, funny, haunting, and kind of thrilling.
I’d recommend this book to people who like their literature weird and personal and a little rough around the edges. If you’re into poetry that feels more like a whisper or a smirk than a polished performance, you’ll probably love this. Artists, songwriters, or anyone who finds inspiration in broken lines and passing moods will find gold in here.
Pages: 104 | ASIN : B0F9RR5TK9
A Little Time More
40 Days of Fasting is a collection of 40 poems resulting from a four-week period of fasting and covering forgiveness, service, humility, and enlightenment. Why was this an important collection for you to write?
Interestingly, I didn’t intend to write much, maybe journal my thoughts during the fast, but as the prologue explains, these unconscious impulses to chronicle a stream of messages, counsel, and admonitions suddenly came through in rich, poetic form. Strange indeed, for never was I an enthusiast of this genre of art. Now, 40 Days of Fasting is the product of this uncanny and provocative inner experience.
How do you know when a poem is truly finished?
I came out of this interfacing with Carlos – my muse – when no more words were channeled. There was a silence, an emptiness, and a mental weariness after the experience. There was an abrupt end to the flow of words.
Do you have a favorite poem in the book, and if so, why does it hold special meaning for you?
“A Time Appointed,” I would say. It centers on death, the most significant of all initiations we experience in a given incarnation. Scripturally, we are told that there’s a time–irrevocable–for us to be called home; not a second before or after are we summoned. But there are times, few and far between, when we can petition for a moment, a little time more, not for selfish ends, but to complete a service unfinished for the betterment of others. In these rare cases, it is granted by Source. And I have reason to believe this based on my own experience. “A Time Appointed” ventures into this phenomenon.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from 40 Days of Fasting?
I pray that this work is studied, not just read. Therein are timeless, irrefutable teachings that speak to us. These truths liberate us from the world’s illusions and the seemingly ceaseless cycle of suffering.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
This book is not merely about abstaining from food or water. It is a journey through the soul’s deep yearning to reunite with its Source. Each poem is a meditation-on love, death, healing, divine presence, spiritual purity, and the human struggle for truth. These recitations echo ancient teachings while remaining deeply personal, echoing the author’s own trials, revelations, and reconciliations.
40 Days of Fasting invites readers to slow down and reflect. Drawing on spiritual philosophies from various traditions-Christianity, Islam, Eastern mysticism, and metaphysical teachings-the poems act as spiritual signposts, guiding us back to our essence. Themes of divine mercy, inner light, karmic justice, sacred union, and the soul’s eternal nature are explored with poetic grace.
Whether read as a devotional companion, a meditative guide, or a poetic reflection, this book touches something universal. It does not preach. It invites. It does not declare answers. It helps the reader ask the right questions.
Above all, 40 Days of Fasting is a testament to the soul’s quiet knowing and the sacred power of listening during times of intentional silence. It is both a personal diary and a mystical manual-an offering to all those walking the spiritual path with faith, doubt, longing, and hope.
The Mole Vol I
After reading The Mole Vol I by Ron Raye, I was left with the kind of restless wonder that follows a vivid, unsettling dream. This is not a book you breeze through or easily categorize. It’s a sprawling, poetic reflection on writing itself. What it means to create, to wrestle with imagination, and to birth stories from the void. Framed as a novel but flowing like a feverish verse epic, The Mole explores the narrator’s relentless, obsessive pursuit of a book that never quite lets itself be written. It’s a journey through false starts, unruly characters, and the chaos of creativity itself.
The writing is repetitive, fragmented, and sometimes circular. But maybe that’s the point. Raye plunges into the deep end of postmodern playfulness, layering thoughts about writing on top of metaphors about the self, identity, the muse, and madness. He breaks the fourth wall constantly. One minute we’re inside the narrator’s mind, the next we’re hearing characters rebel or vanish mid-scene. The language pulses with raw emotion. Some parts made me feel like I was watching someone have a breakdown in real-time, but in a way that’s painfully honest and often oddly funny.
What struck me most was how deeply personal it felt. The narrator’s longing to write, to leave something meaningful behind, resonated with me. It’s not really about the story, because there isn’t a traditional one. It’s about the process. The doubt, the silence, the moments when words feel useless. At times, I felt deeply seen, especially in those passages where the writer questions the worth of what they’re doing, yet keeps going anyway. That kind of creative vulnerability takes guts to put on the page.
The Mole Vol I isn’t for everyone. If you’ve ever struggled with your own voice or chased an idea until it nearly broke you, there’s something deeply relatable here. I’d recommend it to poets, writers, and anyone who’s ever stared at a blank page for too long.
Pages: 836 | ISBN : 978-0980045284
The Human Condition
Scandals is a collection of prose poems and microfiction, where the grotesque and mundane are transformed into surreal snapshots of American despair and dark humor. Were there specific influences that shaped the rhythm and tone of this collection?
I love the lyrics of David Yow, Nick Cave, Laurie Anderson, the lyrics on Nirvana’s In Utero, anything that paints the kind of stranger-than-fiction aspects of humanity. My favorite poet is Eric Paul, who was also the vocalist for Arab on Radar, The Chinese Stars, Psychic Graveyard, etc. His lyrics especially made me want to write poetry. I’m also influenced by overheard dialogue; I keep a small notebook to document things I hear every day. Then, there are more visual influences like Diane Arbus, Todd Solondz, Werner Herzog, Harmony Korine, Mary Ellen Mark, and the countless fly-on-the-wall documentaries I obsess over like Streetwise, Strongman, and Vernon, Florida. I’ve always likened poems to photographs, where I’m sorta writing what I can’t immediately shoot a photo of or document in a visual way, whether it’s in my head or right in front of me.
Scandals feels personal and raw. How much of it was drawn from your own life versus pure invention?
It’s a little bit of both. Some are fully autobiographical, some are entirely fiction, others are a blend where I might take my own experience and mix it with someone I saw on the street, then add something a friend told me when I was in 3rd grade.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this collection?
I definitely wanted it to be honest about the full spectrum of the human condition. Good people doing bad things, bad people doing good things. I’m not very interested in a kind of world without gray areas, where everything is boxed into good and evil. There are a lot of references to sitcoms to show the sometimes stark contrast between the viewer’s life and the fictional lives they’re watching on TV, where many of them are examples of the American dream that most viewers likely will not achieve in their lives. I also found it interesting how, when an actor gets arrested, ends up in the middle of a scandal, or acts out as a result of childhood trauma, many still see that person as the character they play on TV and forget they’re human/are not those characters. I imagined a kind of, “What happens when the camera is turned off/an episode is over?” world with all these sitcoms that mirrors aspects of the real world.
If Scandals had a soundtrack, what five songs would absolutely be on it?
- “Wichita Lineman” by Glen Campbell
- “Everyone I Went to High School With is Dead” by Mr. Bungle
- “Goodbye to Romance” by Ozzy Osbourne
- “Skrag Theme” by Aerial M
- “Runaway” by Del Shannon
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Amazon
“Darkly comical, surreal, and at times, deeply touching.”- Sara B. (Artist)
“The tears of a clown clang against the floor like silver bullet casings. Speeding forward locked in battle with apparitions emerging from the afterburner, Alex Osman is in a league of his own.”- Gwen Hilton (author of Sent to the Silkworm House &Where the Breastplate Meets the Blade)
I’ll be honest – I jumped at the chance to blurb this book because it meant I didn’t have to wait as long to read it. Alex Osman’s work will do that to you. I needed another hit. No one else can find the absurdist wonder of dancing primates or toddlers graffitiing the KISS logo around their kindergarten.
Scandals – Alex Osman’s strongest collection of writing so far – is full of cultural references – because the morning kids show entertainers, sitcom stars, the brand names of the day are the true landscape of the Americana that Osman chooses to mine and dissect with and within his work.
Osman is a genuine surrealist and understands the comedy, the horror, the pain, the immortal and yet constantly fleeting nature within everyday pop-culture. Something that adds a strength and depth to his multi-faceted body of work is that he also sees the beauty, the brief moments of truth and bliss amid the confusing blur of the whole mess of everything that makes up life. And we should be thankful that he does. Work this brilliant and evocative should be treated like the rare jewel that it is.- Thomas Moore (author, Forever, Alone, & Your Dreams)
LITERARY TITAN 