In Getting the Mail, the ordinary becomes sacred, the small becomes large, the page fills with light in these beautifully crafted poems. Common things¬¬–frost, horses, the past¬¬–are seen with insight and compassion, and metaphor is contained in bright force, offered without sentimentality and with real tenderness. Cathy Lentes gets it right when she sees the boy who does not see as others do, or when she hears the drum of walnuts on the barn roof, or even when she finds rare reflections as she washes windows. She is fetching the mail for us, and along the way, helping us notice the daily simplicities and the people who live them. In these poems, she is carrying for us the messages of what is real, laced with gentility and great affection.

–Anne¬-Marie Oomen, author of Love, Sex and 4-H

Rating: ***** [5 of 5 Stars!]

In the world of Getting the Mail, machines eat mountains; dead streams run orange with mine waste, and “flood torments.” But Lentes’ powerful sense of connection—to her Appalachian homeplace, to community, and to her students—sings through it all. She has taken “The Road Marked Poetry,” and we are privileged to travel it with her.

–George Ella Lyon, author of Many-Storied House, Kentucky Poet Laureate 2015-2016

Rating: ***** [5 of 5 Stars!]

From the unexpected blessing of an Elvis impersonator to the delight of circling chimney swifts at a soon-to-be-abandoned country schoolhouse, Lentes explores the magic of everyday living. With these poems, we are joyfully reminded of “secrets deep in denim pockets” and “mysteries put up in Mason jars.”
–Denton Loving, author of Crimes Against Birds

Rating: ***** [5 of 5 Stars!]