Marie Marshall

Poet Ben Mosley writes:

“The organization by sections for subject and theme allows each reader to browse or study according to the mood of the moment – or to be transported into a realm of emotion or thought beyond one’s first disposition on picking up the book. Formal poetry in languages other than English allow us to hear lyrical prosody beyond the constructs of a single language. These poems remind us that the paths of our thoughts so well-trodden in one language are not the only ways through the dappled shade and sun of our humanity. The artwork included in the book is fascinating, and like the poetry, is selected with an eclectic sensibility that turns all around to view the sweep of human aesthetic expression.

This anthology returns me to the beginning of my interest in the pursuit of poetic excellence. Like most of us, I was introduced to poems selected by my teachers, and I first attempted poetry with grade school assignments. However, it was not until I began to read anthologies as an adult that I began to see that poetry would become my favorite way of hearing what others have to say and for trying to express myself. With The Phoenix Rising from the Ashes Richard Vallance has given us vistas of poetry of this latest century that remind me of those provided by Oscar Williams and others of the poetry from the fourteenth through the twentieth century.”