UnSong

Book excerpt: Remember the first book you read with no pictures in it? This is not that. Author Michelle Garren Flye has penned poems about being a woman and lovingly illustrated each one. Divided into three sections (Dream, Fear and Hope) with the semi-epic poem "The Death of a Thousand Cuts" providing a bridge from Dream to Fear, Flye's collection addresses what it is like to be a woman in today's world. Flye invites you to come on a journey of self-discovery and remember what it was like to read a book with pictures.UnSong by Michelle Garren Flye is a wicked-smart mash up of verse and graphic art. Early in the book, an elegy to Ruth Bader Ginsberg is paired with a portrait of a woman in a black dress, seen from behind, her arms raised as if to enthrall an unseen crowd. Later, a brilliant untitled haiku takes as its subject our "Covid Days." My favorite work in the book is a piece called River Bones: "... water rolls back to caress and cover the river's bones with the touch of a lover ..." Illustrated poetry books are hard to get right. UnSong nails it, the book rising above any limitations of the format. Buy this book! -Dennis Mahagin, author of Grand Mal, and Longshot & GhazalIn UnSong, Michelle Garren Flye's poems invite the reader to take a pause from the busyness and stress of modern life. In "River Bones," "time comes to a halt" after the wind uncovers "forgotten memories, a bucket, a plate, / a fishhook left on the line too late." While in "Everything Grows," Flye invokes Shakespeare's famous line from Sonnet #15: "When I consider everything that grows / holds in perfection but a little moment," in order to express how hard it is to make time stand still: "Everything grows, everything rushes into the night." Other poems reveal Flye's sharp sense of humor ("What Good is a Girl?") and wonder of the natural world such as in "I'm a December Tree" and "Now That I Am in Mid-Fall." ... As an added treat, Flye's poems are paired with her own illustrations. Savor this collection written by a romantic, and experience the wonder of reading joyful and optimistic poems-a true balm in these troubled times.-Alice Osborn, author of Heroes without CapesUnsong is a bit like a buffet with nuggets of wisdom you can choose to embrace until it fills your soul. Wonderful nibbles of hope that you will return to when you need a dash of light to repel the darkness.-Sam Love, author of Awakening: Musings on Planetary SurvivalUnSong is a beautiful compilation with an amazing amount of breadth and variety. Ms. Flye is literally a song writer! I particularly enjoyed the themes of "staying" and "taking flight". -Tracie Barton-Barrett, author of Buried Deep in Our Hearts and Finding Her SpiritMs. Flye's personality shines brightly through both her poetry and her illustrations. A lovely and relevant book to behold!-Leslie Tall Manning, award-winning author of Knock on Wood and Upside Down in a Laura Ingalls TownMichelle Garren Flye's poetry, art, and photography excite my senses and touch my heart. Oh, what a talent!-Padgett Gerler, author of Invisible Girl and The Gifts of Pelican Isle