Eric Robert Nolan graduated from Mary Washington College in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He spent several years a news reporter and editorial writer for the Culpeper Star Exponent in Culpeper, Virginia. His work has also appeared on the front pages of numerous newspapers in Virginia, including The Free Lance – Star and The Daily Progress. Eric entered the field of philanthropy in 1996, as a grant writer for nonprofit healthcare organizations.
Eric’s poetry has been featured by Dead Beats Literary Blog, Dagda Publishing, The International War Veterans’ Poetry Archive, and elsewhere. His poetry will also be published by Illumen Magazine in its Spring 2014 issue.
I absolutely enjoyed Jay Sturner’s adroit and heartfelt poetry collection, Shadows & Sparks. This new edition of his short anthology, released by Fairy Thrush Press, contains ten new poems and an eye-catching new cover by his wife, Kelly Sturner.
Jay’s talent truly shines here. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should point out that the author is a friend for whom I have great admiration, so you’ll have to forgive whatever positive bias is inevitable here.)
Shadows & Sparks is divided into three sections. “Part I: The Shadows” sees the author examining darker themes — things like frustration, existential doubt, and severed relationships. “Part II: The Sparks” is a reprieve from these musings, with the poet meditating on themes of perseverance and redemption. The final section contains Jay’s newer poems, which are drawn from a variety of motifs.
All of my favorite poems from Shadows & Sparks can be found here in the third section. “Empath” is a rather perfect short poem, I believe, and “Not a Writer” is a short poem that takes a delightful (and well deserved) jab at artificial intelligence. “Tomorrow I Hope to Dream” contains my favorite metaphor from the collection. Should you purchase this collection (which you should), you’ll see that this the “old tree” of Jay’s conception. But “Her Forces,” the poet’s ode to his great grandmother, is probably the most beautiful overall poem.
Silent Spark Press today released Virginia Poetry: An Anthology — which includes my poem “Where Would We Go?” The book includes 100 poems from poets throughout the Commonwealth, comprising “a literary journey through the state’s history, landscapes, communities, and cultural identity. From the Blue Ridge Mountains to coastal shores, the poems reflect the depth and diversity of Virginia’s poetic voices.”
You can purchase the volume directly from the publisher here:
