A Matter of Selection - by Carol Smallwood (Paperback)

About the Book

n reading through A Matter of Selection I was taken with the ease in which Carol Smallwood moves between formal classical verse and free open verse. What is important is what form best fits what is to be said. Smallwood is a profound observer with many questions and with equally profound answers. -John Peterson, Publisher

Book Synopsis

(CarolSmallwood's) greatest strengths lie in her own original content, and in that respect, A Matter of Selection soars not only as a follow-up to her past collections, but also as an independent entry into the modern poetic landscape. Be it the personal touches inside the profound, "The Universe," the sensory allusions of "A Chemo Visit," the domestic snapshots shaping "The Sewing Box," or the startling social commentary beneath the short and simple "Examples," Smallwood ensures that just about every piece is surprising, unique, and resonant. As such, A Matter of Selection is a tour-de-force illustration of the potentials of poetry.

--Jordan Blum, founder, editor-in-chief, The Bookends Review

Review Quotes

"Carol Smallwood's poems harken back to evolution and she explores the complexities of the mind, at times with surrealism, and all her work is
both modern and poetry of depth and excellence." - Mary Barnet, founder & editor-in-chief, PoetryMagazine.com

"Carol Smallwood's unabashed use of classical poetry forms for modern topics in her books makes her one of the boldest poets in poetry, even in literature, right now." - Evan Mantyk, president, The Society of Classical Poets

"Formal and free verse poems flow seamlessly together, integrated into collections that magnify the specifics of our world yet then pan out to connect the parts to the larger whole." - Cristina Deptula, Synchronized Chaos Magazine

"Broken in four individually distinctive yet also cumulatively linked parts, A Matter of Selection further revealsSmallwood as a masterful poet whose empathy, imagination, and philosophical ponderings make just about every selection--however lengthy and constructed--visually, emotionally, and/or intellectually stimulating." - Jordan Blum, founder/editor-in-chief, The Bookends Review

"A Matter of Selection is also a 'curation, ' true to the word's grounding in the Latin word for care: in her curation of moments, objects, insights, words, and images, Carol Smallwood's care--keen and humane--is palpable on the page." - Rebecca Resinski, editorial board, Heron Tree; professor of Classics, Hendrix College

"Carol's sure grasp of detail, from the minute to the galactic, coupled with her flair with types and layers of verse, invite the reader to say "Yes, yes!" I cannot imagine one could read her poems without feeling as if the air and light have somehow changed." - Julie Damerell, editor, Miller's Pond