UNDERGROUND RIVER OF WANT by Kathleen Gregg

“Underground River of Want” is a celebration of the speaker’s journey from heartbreak and need to authenticity and strength. The unflinching yet sympathetic look at the past has us aching with the untimely loss of a beloved father, cheering for the speaker’s choices leading to freedom and self-sufficiency. The thread of time is marked with music, illustrated by iconic songs. This is a book detailing important changes in a person’s life, an account masterfully narrated in poetry. “The story isn’t over.” I agree that “the best is yet to come.” Congratulations, Kathleen! Can’t wait to read what you write next.

–Katerina Stoykova, author of Second Skin, senior editor of Accents Publishing

In her debut chapbook, Kathleen Gregg reveals a keen sense for selecting the exact word to capture the essence of a moment, a day or a lifetime. Kathleen deftly draws the reader into the ever-changing world of the speaker—the girl whose father passed too young, the half-child who searched for love, the twenty-something left with only the sound of the train rattling windows, the new woman choosing to jump the fence and drive away, and the woman comfortable in her own skin who slips outdoors into the lush hush of dawn hanging in a full life with her truest love, found at last.  The Underground River of Want courses throughout the collection. Kathleen recreates sights and sounds that reveal surprising gifts that distill complex human experiences in universal ways. I am reminded fondly of my beloved mentor, James Baker Hall’s highest praise for the craft—- this poet has earned every line.

–Shelda Hale