Check out an incredible review of Responsive Pleading from the lovely Kirsten Piccini, it warms this poet's heart:

Never would I think that I would love a book of poetry as much as a novel, but since Responsive Pleading arrived in the mail yesterday afternoon, I have fallen in love with every word. By 1 am this morning, I had abandoned sleep and devoured the book twice, the cover already dog-eared, the words already sent to friends, the author tweeted.

I felt like Marian was speaking for me, as a woman, a wife, a mother, and as the girl who still believes in fairy tales, BIG INCREDIBLE words and what-ifs. The subtle images brought me to my knees. I gasped, I laid the book down and stared into space, I highlighted passages and I related my own life to her words.

That really is the point, isn't it, when a book changes your life? You relate, you see yourself in those places, and you can sigh, "ME TOO."

There are so many pages of goodness in this collection, by my favorites are "Walking On a Wire," "Prayer," and "Hang My Moon." Maybe they will be your favorites, too, or maybe you'll see yourself in her other offerings. Whatever the case is, BUY THIS BOOK. Once you have read her words, conjured her images, you will not be the same: that's the invisible (and free) gift that comes in the box with this amazing book.