The Rock in the Middle of the Road describes a series of encounters: with new places and uncovered memories; the politics of the moment and the legacy of history; and falling in love in the here and now. Set in Brazil, Argentina, France, New York City, Cape Cod, and in the virtual homeland of a remembered childhood, Miller’s poems ask the reader to disembark from the ordinary. On this journey, the reader attends to the rhythms of phrases and the playfulness of words. Also, one is called to pay attention to the details in a cityscape or a seascape, suggesting different ways to measure distance and nearness.

Deep Fahrenheit portrays the process of growing up. In the opening poem, a woman in feudal times stands in a field under the stars and feels the turning of the earth beneath her feet and senses for the first time that she is not the center of the universe and that she is connected to all things. In the final poem, a contemporary woman standing outside at the end of a day, also feels the earth’s turning, and senses not only her own death but the gradual extinction of all things. These poems sing from start to finish!

Alan Humason’s poetry examines the lives of ordinary people through a narrative exploration of every day events—dating, doing work, driving home, walking outdoors, loving—knowing that honest epiphanies can spring from the most modest of pastimes and contacts. He aims to be insightful and empathetic about the human condition in clear, vivid, evocative language. Taking an observant story-teller’s point of view, rarely writing in the first person, Humason quickly crafts engaging tales that pulse with character, a sense of place, and deeper meanings.

Driving Around, Looking in Other People’s Windows is a poetry collection about a marriage falling apart in the face of illness and debt. Two young, idealistic poets try to move past the difficulties of their childhoods to make a life together, but good intentions aren’t the same as good plans.