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Reflections: Poems and Essays
The waters of time never lie. Wisdom drifts down through the ages for all who dare to listen. History teaches us through honesty. Are you bold enough to hear the truth?
Reflections: Poems and Essays wraps you in the untold stories of the past. Sit next to the waters of time and listen to the wisdom of the past. What if John Wilkes Booth hadn't been killed at Garret's barn? Who are the Shawnee? Why did the Cherokee accise Sequoyah of witchcraft? These stories and more await you within this inspiring book.
Reflections: Poems and Essays wraps you in the untold stories of the past. Sit next to the waters of time and listen to the wisdom of the past. What if John Wilkes Booth hadn't been killed at Garret's barn? Who are the Shawnee? Why did the Cherokee accise Sequoyah of witchcraft? These stories and more await you within this inspiring book.
ebook
First published November 22, 2012
5 people want to read
About the author
Allison Bruning
32 books53 followersBestselling author Allison Bruning originally hails from Marion, Ohio but full time RV’s with her husband and their Australian cattle dog, Lakota Sioux. Allison is the bestselling author of several novels, short stories, children’s books and a poetry book.
Allison's educational background includes a B.A. in theatre arts with a minor in anthropology from Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. Allison received National Honor Society memberships in both Theatre Arts and Communication. She was also honored her sophomore year with admission into the All American Scholars register. She holds graduate hours in cultural anthropology and education. In 2007, Allison was named to Who's Who Among America's Educators. She is also the recipient of the Girl Scout Silver and Gold Awards. Allison received her Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing at Full Sail University on June 28, 2013. She is an educator, writer, speaker, screenwriter, film director, choreographer and business owner. Allison's interests include Ohio Valley history, anthropology, travel, culture, history, camping, hiking, backpacking, spending time with her family, and genealogy.
Allison's educational background includes a B.A. in theatre arts with a minor in anthropology from Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. Allison received National Honor Society memberships in both Theatre Arts and Communication. She was also honored her sophomore year with admission into the All American Scholars register. She holds graduate hours in cultural anthropology and education. In 2007, Allison was named to Who's Who Among America's Educators. She is also the recipient of the Girl Scout Silver and Gold Awards. Allison received her Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing at Full Sail University on June 28, 2013. She is an educator, writer, speaker, screenwriter, film director, choreographer and business owner. Allison's interests include Ohio Valley history, anthropology, travel, culture, history, camping, hiking, backpacking, spending time with her family, and genealogy.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 4, 2013
I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Whilst this isn't typically the sort of book I would generally go for, I found it thought provoking and interesting.
Having read this book I feel honoured that I have been granted a deeper insight in the world this author lives in. Many of the poems mirrored my thoughts, many of the words touched my heart and the essays were delightful and informative.
The essays written are based on experience and cultural history and were insightful, intriguing and revealed many aspect that I thought I had known about yet didn't at the same time.
Aspects included how Fathers Day came to be and how it's celebrated. This volume also gave you a deeper look into the Shawnee lifestyle - not something you see come across lightly in this day and age. Other essays and poems are patriotic to the authors nation and to her beliefs. This alone gives you even more insight. More than what can be revealed to you in a fictional novel.
There are two poems that I want to highlight in brief - they struck a chord with me and may do the same for others.
The Bookworm - a must read for everyone who adores to read.
..... Wonder by wonder
..... I turn to places I've never been
..... Dazzling places I've never known
..... Time under my control
That is but four lines from a poem that I has a bookworm adore and wholeheartedly agree with.
The other is that can add some insight into what makes a writer - well in essence. It is called - A Writers recipe.
..... A pinch of inspiration
..... A heaping of encouraging friends
..... A touch of writing groups
..... A dash of your own blood, sweat and tears....
Can you imagine how much of that was used to create and informative, factual piece of work whilst also containing words that are musical in a form - the poetic verse?
If you are keen on History, or love poetry then this is a volume for you. I have only gained in knowledge and in admiration for the author after reading this. One can only imagine how difficult it was to compose everything together and stick to historical facts. Many of which I didn't know!
Whilst this isn't typically the sort of book I would generally go for, I found it thought provoking and interesting.
Having read this book I feel honoured that I have been granted a deeper insight in the world this author lives in. Many of the poems mirrored my thoughts, many of the words touched my heart and the essays were delightful and informative.
The essays written are based on experience and cultural history and were insightful, intriguing and revealed many aspect that I thought I had known about yet didn't at the same time.
Aspects included how Fathers Day came to be and how it's celebrated. This volume also gave you a deeper look into the Shawnee lifestyle - not something you see come across lightly in this day and age. Other essays and poems are patriotic to the authors nation and to her beliefs. This alone gives you even more insight. More than what can be revealed to you in a fictional novel.
There are two poems that I want to highlight in brief - they struck a chord with me and may do the same for others.
The Bookworm - a must read for everyone who adores to read.
..... Wonder by wonder
..... I turn to places I've never been
..... Dazzling places I've never known
..... Time under my control
That is but four lines from a poem that I has a bookworm adore and wholeheartedly agree with.
The other is that can add some insight into what makes a writer - well in essence. It is called - A Writers recipe.
..... A pinch of inspiration
..... A heaping of encouraging friends
..... A touch of writing groups
..... A dash of your own blood, sweat and tears....
Can you imagine how much of that was used to create and informative, factual piece of work whilst also containing words that are musical in a form - the poetic verse?
If you are keen on History, or love poetry then this is a volume for you. I have only gained in knowledge and in admiration for the author after reading this. One can only imagine how difficult it was to compose everything together and stick to historical facts. Many of which I didn't know!
February 7, 2013
Reviewing Reflections is something of a challenge because it is a collection of some seventy poems and essays without an obvious unifying theme or structure. As I read, I was reminded of a couple of drawers at home where I place things for convenience: receipts, screwdrivers, ballpoints, miscellaneous business cards, etc. Occasionally I throw out some things that have outlived their usefulness to be replaced by new objects, say, a pair of pliers or a USB drive, but some things have been in those drawers for ten years. The organizing principle is basically “if you never move it you can always find it again.” Reflections seemed to me to be that drawer of Allison Bruning’s literary musings. Hey, it works for me, so I like that approach.
The reader who approaches Reflections without expectations of an agenda, genre-related focus, or dominant message will find a number of pleasures. Following my metaphor, she is inviting you to look into the drawer and see if you can find what you need. There is a disarming charm about that, an honesty and lack of pretense that are the strength of Reflections. You will find essays on American historical topics that could become the framework for novels, short stories or political commentary, poems ranging moving love tributes to limericks, all offered up in a guileless manner, unaffected and without pretense. The title of the collection is appropriate, but not in the pattern of Poe, pondering weak and weary in the dark of night, but rather a bright room of mirrors allowing the reader to see Bruning’s writing abilities from all sides and angles, as she considers her heritage, regional history, acquaintances, and historical figures large and small and as she plays with form and style. Looked at in that fashion, and appreciative of the rarity of this approach, I give her volume a strong rating for readers with a mind open to such an eclectic offering. As a writer of American historical fiction, I found the essays concerning little known individuals and groups in American history the most interesting in themselves and for their potential for elaboration.
Some readers are likely to be put off by Bruning’s seeming reliance on unfettered talent rather than studied craft or by the randomness of the structure. As to the first comment, I thought that some of the poems had the spontaneity of a first inspiration but lacked the refinement that comes through multiple edits. With the religious poems in particular, the path has been so well trodden over the centuries that it is difficult to choose words that convey a fresh revelation. This is an area where exploring the depths below the initially expressed emotions may serve the poet well. On the second point, I thought that the poems and the essays each might have been structured into two or three blocks to better allow the mode or theme of one piece to better flow into another. Of course, some of the uniqueness of the collection would have suffered from that move toward the conventional. Still, I have found that my “let it be” method of maintaining my drawers works better for me than for others. (The juxtaposition of an essay on anthropology and a limerick about a man eating his shoe is a bit like finding the spare key among the vitamin pills. Some may be puzzled by the logic.)
Reflections is a glimpse inside the head and heart of a writer unafraid of candid self-expression. Enjoy her frankness and potential for growth as an author.
The reader who approaches Reflections without expectations of an agenda, genre-related focus, or dominant message will find a number of pleasures. Following my metaphor, she is inviting you to look into the drawer and see if you can find what you need. There is a disarming charm about that, an honesty and lack of pretense that are the strength of Reflections. You will find essays on American historical topics that could become the framework for novels, short stories or political commentary, poems ranging moving love tributes to limericks, all offered up in a guileless manner, unaffected and without pretense. The title of the collection is appropriate, but not in the pattern of Poe, pondering weak and weary in the dark of night, but rather a bright room of mirrors allowing the reader to see Bruning’s writing abilities from all sides and angles, as she considers her heritage, regional history, acquaintances, and historical figures large and small and as she plays with form and style. Looked at in that fashion, and appreciative of the rarity of this approach, I give her volume a strong rating for readers with a mind open to such an eclectic offering. As a writer of American historical fiction, I found the essays concerning little known individuals and groups in American history the most interesting in themselves and for their potential for elaboration.
Some readers are likely to be put off by Bruning’s seeming reliance on unfettered talent rather than studied craft or by the randomness of the structure. As to the first comment, I thought that some of the poems had the spontaneity of a first inspiration but lacked the refinement that comes through multiple edits. With the religious poems in particular, the path has been so well trodden over the centuries that it is difficult to choose words that convey a fresh revelation. This is an area where exploring the depths below the initially expressed emotions may serve the poet well. On the second point, I thought that the poems and the essays each might have been structured into two or three blocks to better allow the mode or theme of one piece to better flow into another. Of course, some of the uniqueness of the collection would have suffered from that move toward the conventional. Still, I have found that my “let it be” method of maintaining my drawers works better for me than for others. (The juxtaposition of an essay on anthropology and a limerick about a man eating his shoe is a bit like finding the spare key among the vitamin pills. Some may be puzzled by the logic.)
Reflections is a glimpse inside the head and heart of a writer unafraid of candid self-expression. Enjoy her frankness and potential for growth as an author.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews