As we open Bill McNamara’s latest book of poems, we meet a man sitting below an old oak ‘in a carpet of red and gold leaves.’ He will guide us, this man, and as we follow him, we will discover Mariposa Lilies, Artemisia, bright Blue Flax, ‘and a thousand other wildflowers.’ But McNamara doesn’t stop at wildflowers. In this reflective collection, he shares his dismay at environmental degradation, pointing to the endangered flora and fauna of Hawaii as one of the worst examples. We will follow him on trails in the Sierras with his wife, Jojo, and travel to Colombia, the Caribbean, Argentina, and more. We’ll sympathize with a Monterey Pine haphazardly planted in the concrete jungle of a city, reflect on old age, and even spend a night in a depressing inn in Nevada. The words of the poems, whether delicate or strong, are carefully chosen, and as we read, we soon fall into the rhythm of the verse. Grandchildren, Jojo, and the trees give us hope at the end.

- Colette Gauthier Myles - author of Love, Songs, War, and other books, Sonoma, CA

Because he writes about what we value, Mike Maggio restores consciousness to language. His unswerving commitment to clarity makes poetry relevant as well as harmonic. Lyricism would mean nothing without the fine art of meaning; and, over time, other writers may wind down, but Mike Maggio will continue speaking with beauty, strength, and wisdom. In our poetry world, Maggio will surprise new readers who find him for the first time; and he will reassure old readers who are his fans.

-- Grace Cavalieri, Maryland Poet Laureate

In A Brief Gazelle, Mike Maggio explores the complexities of love–the joy and grief, the ephemeral and eternal, the real and surreal. Maggio masterfully integrates cinematic sensations of image and seasonal landscapes–inhabited by birds and celestial beings, flowers and trees, lakes and seas, and lovers who appear and disappear like gazelles–with a soundtrack of love songs. We hear the voices of lover and beloved expressing joy and pain, love that’s lost and found, grief that never leaves, and readers identify as both the speaker of the poem and the reader.

-- Cathy Hailey, Cathy Hailey, Author of I’d Rather Be a Hyacinth and Vice-President, Poetry Society of Virginia

Valentines of love glimpsed, love sung, love gone.  Mike Maggio's A Brief Gazelle: Poems of Love and Grief is a collection of wistful hearts with lines like “I return, commune with you in my dreams a thousand times” (Oranges in Palestine), “The day burst madly with you” (Un Jour). and “[I wonder] what you've become” (“Zamfir's Flute”).  Any of us who look back with wondrous regret will enjoy these poems.

 -- Hiram Larew, Poet

As we open Bill McNamara’s latest book of poems, we meet a man sitting below an old oak ‘in a carpet of red and gold leaves.’ He will guide us, this man, and as we follow him, we will discover Mariposa Lilies, Artemisia, bright Blue Flax, ‘and a thousand other wildflowers.’ But McNamara doesn’t stop at wildflowers. In this reflective collection, he shares his dismay at environmental degradation, pointing to the endangered flora and fauna of Hawaii as one of the worst examples. We will follow him on trails in the Sierras with his wife, Jojo, and travel to Colombia, the Caribbean, Argentina, and more. We’ll sympathize with a Monterey Pine haphazardly planted in the concrete jungle of a city, reflect on old age, and even spend a night in a depressing inn in Nevada. The words of the poems, whether delicate or strong, are carefully chosen, and as we read, we soon fall into the rhythm of the verse. Grandchildren, Jojo, and the trees give us hope at the end.

- Colette Gauthier Myles - author of Love, Songs, War, and other books, Sonoma, CA

Because he writes about what we value, Mike Maggio restores consciousness to language. His unswerving commitment to clarity makes poetry relevant as well as harmonic. Lyricism would mean nothing without the fine art of meaning; and, over time, other writers may wind down, but Mike Maggio will continue speaking with beauty, strength, and wisdom. In our poetry world, Maggio will surprise new readers who find him for the first time; and he will reassure old readers who are his fans.

-- Grace Cavalieri, Maryland Poet Laureate

In A Brief Gazelle, Mike Maggio explores the complexities of love–the joy and grief, the ephemeral and eternal, the real and surreal. Maggio masterfully integrates cinematic sensations of image and seasonal landscapes–inhabited by birds and celestial beings, flowers and trees, lakes and seas, and lovers who appear and disappear like gazelles–with a soundtrack of love songs. We hear the voices of lover and beloved expressing joy and pain, love that’s lost and found, grief that never leaves, and readers identify as both the speaker of the poem and the reader.

-- Cathy Hailey, Cathy Hailey, Author of I’d Rather Be a Hyacinth and Vice-President, Poetry Society of Virginia

Valentines of love glimpsed, love sung, love gone.  Mike Maggio's A Brief Gazelle: Poems of Love and Grief is a collection of wistful hearts with lines like “I return, commune with you in my dreams a thousand times” (Oranges in Palestine), “The day burst madly with you” (Un Jour). and “[I wonder] what you've become” (“Zamfir's Flute”).  Any of us who look back with wondrous regret will enjoy these poems.

 -- Hiram Larew, Poet