Transitions

by Gary Beck

Transitions is a poetry collection that looks at the rapid and gradual changes taking place in our society. "We love the poems from Transitions." - Tower Journal "An exciting collection." - Carcinogenic Poetry "We are thrilled with the poems." - Poeming Pigeons Anthology "The ideas are sharp and poignant." - Coup d' Etat Magazine

122 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 2019

About the author

Gary Beck has spent most of his adult life as a theater director and worked as an art dealer when he couldn't earn a living in the theater. He has also been a tennis pro, a ditch digger and a salvage diver. His original plays and translations of Moliere, Aristophanes and Sophocles have been produced Off Broadway. His poetry, fiction and essays have appeared in hundreds of literary magazines and his published books include 28 poetry collections, 11 novels, 3 short story collections, 1 collection of essays and 2 books of plays. Published poetry books include: Dawn in Cities, Assault on Nature, Songs of a Clerk, Civilized Ways, Displays, Perceptions, Fault Lines, Tremors, Perturbations, Rude Awakenings, The Remission of Order, Contusions and Desperate Seeker (Winter Goose Publishing. Forthcoming: Learning Curve and Ignition Point). Earth Links, Too Harsh For Pastels, Severance, Redemption Value, Fractional Disorder and Disruptions (Cyberwit Publishing). His novels include Extreme Change (Winter Goose Publishing). and Wavelength (Cyberwit Publishing). His short story collections include: A Glimpse of Youth (Sweatshoppe Publications). Now I Accuse and other stories (Winter Goose Publishing) and Dogs Don’t Send Flowers and other stories (Wordcatcher Publishing). Collected Essays of Gary Beck (Cyberwit Publishing). The Big Match and other one act plays (Wordcatcher Publishing). Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume 1 and Plays of Aristophanes translated, then directed by Gary Beck (Cyberwit Publishing). Gary lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Jim Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

over one hundred wide-ranging poems.
four stars
As always, do not let my star count override your judgement of content. More on the stars, counting, and my rating challenges later.
In this collection Beck touches on a number of themes. Deeply patriotic, the state of the nation nags at him from all directions – politics, poverty, activism, passivity.
For a sad narrative, turn to Ailing Elder. Losing the will to live is starkly depicted.
Spoiler alert: this is the entire poem Observer. “I used to watch /the clock at school /go spitefully slower. /Now I watch /the nursing home clock /go spitefully faster.”
Hunkering down for winter is captured in the longer narrative Chores, which begins thus: “The sun rises later, /sets earlier, /the days grow cooler. /I take in the patio furniture, …”
For social commentary with a political thread, turn to Presidential Election.
One theme Beck mentions is, what happens if the power goes out? In Blackout II this is explored. (Imho civilization would crash in about a week. No gas pumps, no deliveries, no pumping of potable water.)
In Fragile Arts Beck opens the theme of culture, and do we support it adequately, and do some arts get a better deal than others. (Yes, they do.)
Now back to the star count. My personal guidelines, when doing any review, are as follows: five stars means, roughly equal to best in genre. Rarely given. Four stars means, extremely good. Three stars means, definitely recommendable. I am a tough reviewer. I try hard to be consistent. I think four stars is correct; clearly recommended.