nice

by Ted Bernal Guevara

A collection of poems simply titled Nice will be out in April! The poems are being polished right now like they're Mcintosh apples. 55 poems, the usual. All are new, except for the last poem, "The Stay in Move," published in THAT magazine, 2019; which is a parting plea. With that mentioned, we're happy to say the book begins with "Wet," a marriage proposal poem.

Also, since Mr. Guevara is a movie buff, "Gere and Basinger" flickers and shines; a jazz craver, "Amy and the Last Stage" mellows in; and a nostalgic Hollywood fan, "About Marilyn" soothes out.

All hopefully to balance the wretchedness of "nice."

70 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2021

About the author

TED BERNAL GUEVARA introduces his new collection of poetry, Bahay Kubo, out November 11th. It is his cachet to the Philippines deemed deep and bright of humble beginnings.

Mr. Guevara resides in South Carolina, where he is a freelance writer. He is the author of three James Dean conceptual novels: Days of Slint, Lips of a Mastodon, and Asphalt & Water. His first novel, A Circle with Two Corners, won praises from Midwest reviews, including one from The Sentinel. The crime-romance novel, True Feel, is in its Second Edition.

Ted has published five other volumes of poetry, Films, Birds on Elephant, Tonto and Destinata, Snake Invite, and the 2020 collection, Nice.

Although he delves into an array of themes, always looking for the unusual and the edgy, Guevara finds adherence in the plight of the disabled and all their "profound richness," as he states in a poem.

At age 9, his family moved from the Philippines to Marion, Indiana—where all his physical challenges were realized and at the same time, rewarded. His physician father never taught him how to dribble a basketball but had trained him to type a thousand words per day, from notable books, to increase his typing speed. Ted caught the literary bug instead, from the exercise.

Kirkus considers Mr. Guevara as Author to Watch.

Reviews

[Denise Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The signature may not be authentic- but everything else here- certainly is.
Ted conveys a unique and credible voice in his poetry.
He cannot be compared to someone- and this is his strength.
"Autumn is the Last Season", sums things up for me...
you'll find what you're looking for... if you imagine...
And I use far too many ellipsis. (He does not)

[Lee Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poetry book worth checking out. I like complicated poems with a lot of meaning, I like poems that mean differently to everyone, I like the emotion behind them. This book covered most of my requirements for good poetry. One of my favorite poems was "pride attempts a selfie". I liked the author's style, I liked the fact I needed to read some of the poems twice to grasp the meaning, or to add a meaning of my own. Overall, I can say that it is a 4.5-star book and I recommend it to readers who like to challenge themselves into reading something extraordinary.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

T.B. Guevara is not a very known poet, but I’ve heard him read in the Rattlecast pod with editor Timothy Green. Each poem mentioned there is as deep and haunting as the ones in this collection Nice. Most poets these days are unknown. Their poems have to do a lot to carry their names / or the passion to write poetry just overwhelms their daily matters.

[Mary Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a great effort here to be anonymous. Maybe the poet is not comfortable with his name. Or perhaps, he feels the world or in the corner in which he resides in that world he's just a guest. In the copy I have (the first printing?), his name is not mentioned. I got drawn solely by "nice." The poems certainly eased my gamble.

What can I add--except I highly recommend.

[Franky King · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice by Ted Bernal Guevara is a wonderful collection of complex yet satisfying poetry. Each poem has a deep meaning and is written exceptionally. The author definitely has a gift. I recommend it to poetry lovers, preferably adults.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of unrequited affairs. Dive into "Violet Rhythm!"