The Orchard Street Press is very pleased to announce the release of Just Breathe, the new poetry collection from Joe Cheslock of Cuyahoga Falls, OH.

Thoughts on Just Breathe

Joe Cheslock views poetry from a strong belief in the power if the creative act, its challenge for the writer and its reward for the reader. This includes the “make it new” imperative articulated almost a century ago by Ezra Pound. For poetry, that means word combinations, phrases, lines, and entire poems that induce a response of “I’ve never seen that before—I’ve never thought of it quite that way before,” and, the ultimate affirmation, “I wish I had written that.”

In Just Breathe, Cheslock manifests this belief in a variety of ways. In his poignant “His Name is Jonathon,” he writes: “Perhaps it was he understood/There wasn’t enough life/For both,/’So he moved aside.” In “Losing Maya,”we read “The sun shining on those simple chores, but not/As brightly as it once did;” and “…won’t her kind and gently spirit flow/Through us like a healing balm. In the closing lines in “I Believe,” we find: “bringing joy from words not seen or heard before.” 

As a collection that draws its reader in with its warm heart and poetic soul, Just Breathe builds on its author’s belief in the creative process and offers a very satisfying and rewarding experience. Sit back, take the time to enjoy. Just Breathe.

John P. Kristofco: poet, author, and editor.

Just Breathe is available for $15 (both online and via the mail) from:

The Orchard Street Press
P.O. Box 280
Gates Mills, OH 44040

orchpress.com
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
330-264-7733