In Late Blooms for Laughing Ghosts, poet Matthew Riley debuts a deft talent for merging his life experiences with diverse interests and varied influences, giving us his unique and compelling artistic voice. With this first collection, he demonstrates a gift for craft often redolent of Surrealist, Beat, or Asian poetic traditions (to name but a few.) Just as often though, he renders poems with an endearing, confessional style that reflects our times and transforms his personal artistic journey into the common language of our shared humanity. In so doing, he confirms that the life of an artist is always emerging—in any soil or season.

— Daniel R. Carrington, Houston Poetry Festival Anthology Chair and Editor of Letter Sent Inland

Sun and Wings, their manifestations, light, and flight. Light which shines on us all through beauty or darkness. The flight of birds, like thoughts, feelings, lifting or descending through acceptance or denial. The lightness of things heavy, the heaviness of things light.

Stephanie Pilar’s poems provide another portal which to view our thoughts, through the lens of grace, accepting the challenges of life even when our acceptance comes through grief and denial. The bird who sings for the devoured rabbit, we can only ask why?

As Stephanie says in her first poem, sunrise…makes the world a Cathedral. A world with dictators, wars, and bombers, but also O Holy Night, sunrises, stars, and songs.

Through the beauty of her elegant observations, we can imagine a world where what happens finds a purpose, even if it is outside of our ability to fully understand. Sometimes, as Stephanie writes, we all have to go hide (our) feelings in the rain.

— Matthew Riley, author of Late Blooms for Laughing Ghosts