Islanders

by Stephen Brooke

We seek the islands of our dreams, whether upon the sea or along the empty streets of cities. We seek love. We seek our way, our way to far lands, our way to home. Through the pages of ‘Islanders,’ poet Stephen Brooke voyages far and returns, bearing a cargo of dream and poetry.

Genres: Poetry

68 pages, Paperback

Published March 12, 2023

About the author

Stephen Brooke is a novelist, poet, musician, illustrator/artist and, now, a publisher with his own imprint, Arachis Press (http://arachispress.com).

Stephen lives in an old farmhouse in the Florida Panhandle.

Reviews

[Oliver Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poet Stephen Brooke has claimed his meaning rises from his words, that he rarely writes from an idea but rather from words or phrases that fire his imagination. It should not be surprising that many of the poems here have some degree of formal structure, some rhyming, many metrical or accentual. At times, it has the feel of a songwriter's work (which the poet also is).

Brooke's inclination to mix older and newer pieces to fit the tone of a collection does lead to some unevenness in style. I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. I do see this bunch of poems as a good thing and give it my full five-star recommendation.

[Mary Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Brooke has gone fairly serious with this one, though there are his typical humorous (or at least 'light') pieces scattered through. There seems to be a progression in the poems, from seeking, to finding, to losing, to once more seeking and seeing promise. There are, to be sure, outliers among the poems.

As ever, they are for the most part excellent work, musical and rich in meaning. This is not (at least mostly not) 'confessional' poetry. Some pieces are more like short stories, vignettes from someone's life. I like it, as I have the previous collections.

[Stephen Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another of my poetry collections and, as usual, there is a bit of a theme (though not to the degree of some of the books). Seeking a place to be, a port, an island, in love and in poetry. Also as usual, there is both new and older work here, things I had saved for the proper time. I'm satisfied with the collection I've put together.

[Wayne Strickland · Rating 4 out of 5]

As ever from the poet, well-crafted and insightful work. Some pieces felt a little like filler and the overall tone was maybe just a little too much of a 'downer.' Still, enjoyable overall and given my recommendation.