NEWS FLASH!  Fran has received a Pushcart Prize nomination for her poem titled Flying Away published in Gargoyle Magazine Online #6. The prize is awarded to work published in literary magazines and small presses during the year. Editors make the nominations. Winners will be announced in the spring.

Arranging Words is available to purchase at bookshop.org, barnesandnoble.com, and in paperback and Kindle at Amazon.com, as well as at many other fine bookstores.

LATEST BOOK NOW AVAILABLE -- Arranging Words

I am delighted to announce that my latest book of poems, titled Arranging Words, has been released by Quillkeepers Press. It is now available for sale online and in your favorite brick-and-mortar bookstore. Ask for it if it's not in stock.

Arranging Words, a chapbook of 32 poems, is my second chapbook collection. Like my earlier chapbook, The Poet Who Loves Pythagoras, this book is a series of light-hearted poems that asks the reader to look at the world from a new perspective. These poems approach letters, words, and everyday phrases in a way that pokes fun at the eccentricities of the English language.

For example, a poem titled “K Knows How to Hide and Seek” begins with the line “K knocks twice, but we only hear him once,” reminding us how often “k” is a silent letter. The poem “Poetry Exercise” plays on the meaning of the word “exercise” with the line “Brain cells stretch, lift your arms, reach for words.” Phrases are deconstructed into literal meanings, such as in the poem “Beside Myself” that asks, “Am I myself or the one beside myself?”

This collection illuminates the quirks of the English language in a lively, humorous way while demonstrating an everlasting love for words.

Here’s a sample poem:

You Have a Friend in T

Besties with S, you will see T
eating toast and chatting with ghosts.
He is an artist who often paints fast,
who never destroys his thirst. 

T doesn't mind following R wearing
a shirt and shorts, although he likes
to take the lead when they travel by train,
always packing a trunk of treats. 

T and H together go through thick and thin,
theirs a true friendship they're both thankful for.
You might think they’d be tired of coming in third,
but good friends are known to be tethered. 

Sometimes they might change places,
then T stands after H as is right.
They prefer to eat borscht and not to gain weight
and thought they’d never be caught. 

**And don't forget my first two books are still available. Click on the Books page for more information and where to purchase.**