Inkwell

"Poetry is alive and well in Decatur, Illinois as evident in this second anthology of Inkwell published by Decatur Area Poets. As in the first edition, the collection opens with winners of a local high school student poetry competition. Student Poet, Nazir Gardiner, takes us into a wonderland of time warp and ends with the existential question "Was I ever real?" and the poetic half-answer "Or was I always soft and shifting." Gotta love that inner voice coming through. In addition to talented poets from Decatur, this collection features work from several writers out of state. One of my favorites was "Bison of Yellowstone" by Jennifer Dotson. She takes the bison's perspective and gives voice to their wooly-headed defiance in response to the "two-legged monsters" who "emerge from inside their moving metal boxes." The final section of the anthology features poetry about Decatur itself, a homecoming in poetry for some of us. We get to celebrate the farmer's market, the ducks in Nelson Park, the lullaby of passing trains, our window to nature at Rock Springs, Lincoln sculptures (including an Ode to his bronze butt by AV Rasmussen) and simply the people of this city many of the poets know as home. The anthology concludes with a shaped poem by Jim Wilkerson - in praise of the history and legacy of overcoming negativity symbolized by Decatur's iconic Transfer House."

- Randy Brooks Professor Emeritus, Millikin University