Book Review Haiku Dan Costinas #poetry #haiku #climatechange AND Preorder – Almost Posthumous: One Hundred Pages of Solitude #literary #darksatire #preorder #psychologicalthriller #fiction

My ReviewIt Is Not Too Late To Restore Planet Earth

Dan Costinas’s Haiku It Is Not Too Late To Restore Planet Earth is as its title suggests – a poetry collection about climate change and our human responses to it, our lack of care and action taken.

It’s a short book of haiku poetry about climate change with a big heart.

It has three sections D, beginning with the devastating effects. This part is hard hitting, it doesn’t hide behind a flimsy wall.

One such example from the collection:

seas mourn their new pain
plastic chokes the waves to death
countless megatons

H, offers glimmers of hope,
An example:

whispers wash red skies
smooth pearls twirl upon dry leaves
Earth drinks, reborn new

The author Dan Costinas illustrates the D & H series with Kanji (Japanese characters.)

And in the final section E, he challenges the typical 5, 7, 5 syllabic structure by using a single word on each line to convey a deeper overall meaning.

As in:

undeniable
totalitarianism
intolerable

I’d recommend to poetry enthusiasts who appreciate how a few words really can drive the message home.

Poetry truly is powerful!

A worthy collection with dire warnings but optimistic overtones to make life on this much loved Earth better through change.

My review on Goodreads:

M.J. Mallon’s review of Haiku: It Is Not Too Late To Restore Planet Earth | Goodreads

To buy:

Haiku: It Is Not Too Late To Restore Planet Earth eBook : Costinas, Dan: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Also, keep a look out as Dan has a new book coming out on 1st July, you can preorder with this link: Almost Posthumous: One Hundred Pages of Solitude eBook : Costinas, Dan: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Synopsis – Almost Posthumous: One hundred Pages of Solitude

Fame. Fraud. Second Chances. Welcome to the ultimate literary deception.

Jordan J. Justice spent his entire career playing by the rules. He poured his soul into brilliant, fiercely honest prose, only for his books to gather dust in forgotten discount bins. In a world of short memories and toxic literary gatekeeping, the public met his talent with deafening silence until he decided to rewrite the rules entirely.
He realised the world only devours the work of an author whose voice has been forever stilled. So, he gave them exactly what they desired: a ghost.

By staging his own disappearance, Jordan orchestrates a grand illusion. Overnight, his name roars onto global bestseller lists, and his ignored manuscripts are suddenly fought over like holy relics. He is forced to watch his lifelong ambition succeed from the shadows of a monumental irony, living a double life where his talent is finally honoured, but only at the cost of his identity.

Yet, when a cynical literary world threatens to pull down the curtain on his masterpiece, Jordan refuses to remain buried. If the traditional publishing establishment demands a corpse to find value, the entertainment industry demands a survivor. Escaping to the glitz and grit of the silver screen, Jordan takes his genius for deception into Hollywood, transforming the ultimate literary fraud into a highly lucrative commodity.

Almost Posthumous is a genre-bending, multi-layered narrative that offers a unique, multi-part perspective:

The Wilderness Files:
The brilliant, surreal short stories written by Jordan during his dark years of obscurity: tales of quiet desperation, existential dread, and sharp irony.

The Hollywood Aftermath:
The voyeuristic thrill of the scripts, treatments, and character bibles that document Jordan’s chaotic evolution from a failed novelist into a ruthless television showrunner.

Part psychological thriller, part dark satire, and part metafictional anthology, Almost Posthumous is an artefact of our collective obsession with celebrity culture. It is a sharp, biting commentary on how society values its prophets only when they are gone—and how a clever man can use that cynicism to mould himself a brand-new life.
Read it now, before he changes his name, and his story, once again.

Almost Posthumous: One Hundred Pages of Solitude eBook : Costinas, Dan: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

I’ve featured Dan on my blog before (he is a generous chap and a great supporter of fellow writers, a fantastic poet and an author who is well worth discovering):

Interview with Dan Costinas, alias Dan Quijote #Shakespeare #reading #reviewing The Last Folio – M J Mallon YA Author and Poet

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Smorgasbord Summer Book Fair #life #shortstories #poetry Beem Weeks @sgc58

Thank you so much to Sally Cronin for featuring my poetry collection, The Hedge Witch & The Musical Poet in her blog post with Beem Weeks, (Slivers of Life, short story collection,) and Sally’s verse, micro fiction & short story collection: Life’s Rich Tapestry, (which I recommend.)

Pop over to Sally’s Smorgasbord to read the reviews about the books:

Poetry Open Mics And Creative Writing Opportunities in Edinburgh #poetry #writing #open #mic #opportunities #Edinburgh

Taken at Living Writing Leith Depot

Edinburgh really is a fantastic city for poets. I’m sure this is also the case in neighbouring Glasgow… and further afield in Scotland.

This blog post focuses on Edinburgh specifically. I hope if you’re new to the poetry open mic scene and to creative writing you may find it helpful.

I’ve tried all of these apart from the ones I’ve marked as still to try!

To sign up for open mic:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdMN754c7CqU_pAQ93Y8VS2OSQ-jmEFoEksPeuAgI_TvnNKfA/viewform?

Drafted at the Canongate pub organised by Dean, Beth and Lloyd. Instagram @draftededinburgh https://www.instagram.com/draftededinburgh

Drafted Open Mic – Facebook Page Link

Typewronger is a small independent book shop that hosts regular events including open mic opportunities. instagram @typewronger https://www.instagram.com/typewronger

Typewronger – Facebook

Shore Poets @shore_poets https://www.instagram.com/shore_poets

Shore Poets | Facebook

Readings by mainly Scottish poets on the last Sunday of every month. Please check the website (http://www.shorepoets.org.uk) for further information. Email at shorepoetsedinburgh@gmail.com

Alcove Edinburgh ( I haven’t been to yet,) is held at Strathmore pub in Leith on a Friday.

Instagram @thealcoveedin https://www.instagram.com/thealcoveedin

Alcove Edinburgh – Facebook

Sad Songs, at Sketchy Beats Cafe, (I haven’t been to yet,) Instagram @thesadsongclub. Tickets via Eventbrite.

https://www.instagram.com/thesadsongclub

Sad Song Club at Sketchy Beats Cafe – Facebook

Writing Groups

Living Writing at Leith Depot, organised by Anna. Tickets available via Eventbrite link. https://eventbrite.com/cc/living-writing-2026-4807033

A welcoming poetry writing group in Leith, prompts are provided by the host Anna. There are also occasional opportunities to read poems aloud.

Poetry group via Meetup

https://www.meetup.com/edinburgh-poets

There are many more!

If you would like to add any other ones to this blog post please comment below.

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Book Review: Poetry Treasures 6 Seasons Robbie Cheadle & Kaye Lynn Booth #poetry #anthology #review

Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons

My Book Review:

There’s much to say about seasons and life in this collection of poetry, compiled by Kaye Lynn Booth and Robbie Cheadle.

Anthologies are a wonderful way to discover new poets and to enjoy old favourites too.

All are lovely contributions in various poetic styles/voices, including limericks, freestyle, free verse, micropoems, tanka, tanka sentence, haiku sentence, spring sonnet, (Shakespearean style) bussokusekiki, haibun, haibun haiku sequence, mondo, double ennead.

My favourite poems in the collection were those by: Colleen Chesebro, Spooky Witch’s Brew, The Fight For Spring

Robbie Cheadle, Micropoems

Jean-Jacques Fournier, I The Bumblebee, (ode to the ever diminishing bumblebees)

Kevin Morris, I Saw Carefree Spring Kiss Winter Goodbye.

Joy Neal Kidney, What is it about Winter, Swallowtail Nursery

Nolcha Fox, Prisons View

Marsha Ingrao, God’s Clouds, My Memory

Michelle Ayan Navajas, Winter Grief

V. M. Sang, Joy of Spring, Autumn in Sussex

Cindy Georgakas, Douse Me In Cooking Bliss

Freya Pickard, Dance

Melissa Lemay, Summer

Yvette Prior, Dear Spring Love Rising One, Dear Warm Blooming One

Highly recommended for poetry enthusiasts.

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Shh Purely Poetry Award Nominee #longlist #indievisibleawards

My poetry collection Shh Purely Poetry is in the longlist in The Indie Visible Awards! Pop over to vote for your favourite Indie books @indie_visible_services link in their bio.

You’ll find Shh Purely Poetry in the Romance Poetry Category.

Voting will be open from the 1st of April to the 1st of May!

To vote go to Hayley’s linktree:

https://linktr.ee/indievisibleevents

Best of luck to all the nominees in the various categories. #indievisibleawards #romance #longlist #indiepoets #indiepoetry

Congratulations to Colleen M Chesebro and Robbie Cheadle. #newbook #anthology #newrelease #poetry

Robbie and Colleen are excited to share that the 2025 edition of Sunflower Tanka has published.

I’m delighted to have my poems, My New Friend, (Experimental Tanka Prose,) She Finds A Strength, (Garland Tanka,) and Discovering Loves Truth in Dreams, (Tanka Puente,) in the anthology. There were I believe a record number of contributors!

Well done to everyone who contributed to the anthology and to Robbie and Colleen for their fabulous hard work in bringing this all together.

Here’s the link to Colleen’s blog post. Do visit her blog:

You will find the book available in print, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited.

They’ve kept their prices the same as last year.

The theme of “dreams,” was perfect for 2025.

They’re looking forward to 2026, and another wonderful year of writing syllabic together.

To purchase the anthology:

Here is the blurb:

Sunflower Tanka, edited by Robbie Cheadle and Colleen M. Chesebro, is an annual anthology showcasing contemporary tanka, tanka prose, and experimental tanka.

Each volume brings together a vibrant tapestry of voices—both emerging and established—from across the globe.

For 2025, our theme “Dreams” invites poets to explore the symbolic language of dreaming, where metaphors blur the line between reality and imagination.

Dreams often serve as gateways to layered meaning, offering fertile ground for syllabic poetry.

This year’s contributors journeyed deep into their dreamscapes, opening portals to boundless creativity.

Through the timeless form of syllabic verse, they captured visions that transcend waking life, weaving poetry that resonates with mystery, wonder, and the infinite possibilities of the human imagination.✨ ✨

✨Robbie and Colleen want to thank each of you for helping us bring the craft of writing syllabic poetry into your hearts.

We’re so proud of all the hard work from our poets and the Tanka Tuesday community. We couldn’t do this without you.

Thank you.

Please share the publication news of this exciting new edition.

Reviews are an author’s dream. We thank you in advance for your reviews. ❤️🎅🏻

Robbie created a video for the 2025 Sunflower Tanka Anthology. She grabbed many magical lines from the submitted poetry, as she shares some of her amazing artwork.

Promo video for Sunflower Tanka Dreams

https://youtu.be/KZF4yFG4D-M?si=hPs3Hxmk1BXr2KnR Colleen M. Chesebro

Robbie & Colleen Contributing Editors, Sunflower Tanka

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The 24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge for #TankaTuesday

Photo by Craig Adderley on Pexels.com

My poem using kigo words: Autumn’s voice and Worm’s cry. I felt this appropriate as I have just seen my eldest daughter off for a while. She is returning to a new term as a teacher. It seems just yesterday that she started her Summer’s break. Some photos of Natasha with us in Tavira, Portugal.

She works very hard, I hope her new term will get off to a good start.

autumn’s voice begins
worm’s cry as winds blow with rains
we must contemplate
that summer is a daydream
and Halloween a reward.

Book Review Behind Closed Doors #poetry #book #review @bakeandwrite

Behind Closed Doors is personal poetry from author and poet Robbie Cheadle. It is a great getting to know the author poetry collection.

There is much to admire. One gets a sense of her struggle to achieve tranquility given her great dedication and work ethic in the poem ‘Achieving Tranquillity.’

‘Do You Want It Enough,’ speaks of an authorly desire for fame and acknowledgement. And ‘The Corporate Hunt,’ about the work jungle back stabbing culture for supremacy. Life choices, inspiration and purpose are the topics in ‘Making A Splash.’

‘A fabricated world,’ has a serious element in its musings.

There are also lovely light-hearted touches as in, ‘Can You See The Butterflies.’

There are also lockdown poems, tankas, haikus, limericks and poems aptly illustrated with photos of her undoubted cake making skills. I enjoyed the metaphorical poems about the differences between her and her husband. Relatable, as my hubby and are also so different!

My favourite poems in the collection are ‘Stars In Her Eyes,’ about the magic we will leave behind with our fantastical words. Beautiful. And ‘He Walks Away,’ about her son becoming independent. Again so relatable, though in my case daughters!

Highly recommended. An unusual thoughtful book for poetry readers.

My rating 5 stars

Author Bio

Robbie Cheadle has published fourteen children’s books and three poetry books.

Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

The eleven Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations.

Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.

Robbie’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews.

https://roberta-writes.com/

https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/author/robertalouisecheadle/

New Release! Shh, Purely Poetry by M.J. Mallon @Marjorie_Mallon @dlfinnauthor #newrelease #poetry #whattoread #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity

Thank you so much to D. L. Finn for featuring me on her blog today with a wonderful 5 star review for my new release. Do pop over to her blog to celebrate my launch!

Universal Amazon Link

Source: New Release! Shh, Purely Poetry by M.J. Mallon @Marjorie_Mallon #newrelease #poetry #whattoread #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity

Review

A loving collection of poetry that delicately weaves in relationships at many stages. Many are sensual, full of texture and images, and some offer unique takes on human interaction. Here are a few beautiful passages: “The Sweetness/The longing/Each kiss deeper/different and the same/Like I belonged to more than him/Like I belonged to the poetry.”؅—Dining on Poetry, “…beautiful calligraphy to highlight/tiny ink splodges to add character/tear drops to remind me of sad days.”—Love Hidden In the Margin, and “She is fair and I am dark/Slight and I am robust/We fill our together/completing our silhouettes.”—Silhouettes. “Shh, Purely Poetry” is meant to be savored more than once by lovers of sensuous and thoughtful poems.

 

Sunday Book Review – Shh, Purely Poetry: Sensual, Love and Relationship Poems by M J Mallon @Pokercubster

Thank you so much to D G Kaye for sharing her excellent review of my new book of poetry.

Her 5 Star Review:

Mallon has created this volume of poems inspired by daily writing prompts and her observations and interpretations of the people and places she’s seen in her travels. She uses various poetic styles to showcase her thoughts in prose and poetry, including free-verse poetry for her longer pieces, which resonate with me most.

The sections are broken down into appropriate categories of poems. Many of the poems in the first section are written with food and drink as subject matter, with underlying tones of sensuality. Some of the poems also touch on holiday themes, love and discovery, love and loss, strangers, forgiveness, war, and nature. Much of the poetry is evoked with intimate and imaginative stirring of sensual images and others being quirky tales – as well as some with explicit sexual connotations. And an interesting spin I found with some of Mallon’s poems, that some were written from the male perspective.

I quite enjoyed this interesting twist on poetry story-telling, something very different than Mallon’s previous poetry. Here is a sampling:

Silhouettes

She is fair and I am dark.

Slight and I am robust.

.

We fill out together.

Completing our silhouettes.

.

As we explore each other.

Strangers a moment ago.

.

Now lost, unable to fade away.

.

Because we kissed the deepness

of each other’s shadows and stayed.

.

If you enjoy poetry that tantalizes and stimulates, you will no doubts enjoy Mallon’s poetry.