Reviews

Reviews from my most recent works



Reviews for Cloud Compass


5.0 out of 5 stars It is perhaps one of the best poetry chapbooks that I have read

By Adam Donaldson Powell on February 2, 2017
Format: Paperback Edition

This is a masterly work by a profound poet. It is perhaps one of the best poetry chapbooks that I have read. The book is in two sections; the first entitled “Shadow Painting”, with poems inspired by the life and work of Laurence Hope (Adela Florence Cory Nicolson, 1865-1904), and the second is entitled “Boxing the Compass”, with several poems grouped together as a poetic travelogue.

It is seldom that I have encountered so many treasures in such a small volume of poetry…With each reading you will discover new layers and levels of beauty and insight.

From “Shadow Painting”:

KNELL

The cadence of the temple bells is random,
at the whim of an errant breeze.
A waterfall of notes, a cool music
trickles through the flimsy netting,
pools on her sodden pillow.

She can no longer hear them chime.

Death has unclenched her fists
grasping the rumpled sheets.
Now her uncurled fingers
reach for her husband’s hand.

From “Boxing the Compass”:

THIN ICE

The cove froze overnight in opaque waves,
formal as a Japanese rock garden.
I tiptoed from crest to knobby crest.
Beyond the semaphore of the pines,
we heard the creaking tide rise,
a panorama with rusty gears.
A rifle crack of jagged water
Aimed a black thunderbolt at my feet.
He jerked me back to shore warning,
“That’s why I never skate on tidal ice.”
I thought, “This man has never been in love.”

And this, dear Reader, is truly what the art of contemporary prose poetry sounds like.


5.0 out of 5 stars `-the geometer – who wholly applies himself to measure the circle-‘ – Dante Alighieri

By Grady Harp on February 9, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition

In a not unexpected move for this sensitive poet [Marta Knobloch], CLOUD COMPASS is an exploration of other lands and cultures as they affected another poet – Laurence Hope (an Edwardian female poet whose poems dealt with the sensuality of 19th century India) – as well as her own obsession with travel.

First an example inspired by Hope’s SHADOW PAINTING series:

SCRYING

I invite the poet to come and drink
from well water my mouth has tasted,
brimming this crystal bowl lit by candles.
I ask she guide my search for her
within me, beyond me, quench my burning
questions in our shared communion.
As I stare into lucent depths
calling her name, will my voice carry
past centuries, continents, lifetimes?
Will her face, a blanched mogra flower
rise through liquid ripples
stirred by my breath?

And so we have the seventh book of poems and thoughts from the gifted Marta Knobloch. She is established, she is creative with each new volume, and she is one to read and absorb. Grady Harp, February 15


5.0 out of 5 stars These poems are undoubtedly quite powerful.

By Dr. Karunesh Kumar Agrawal on November 3, 2014
Format: Paperback Edition

In several poems we notice bursts of tremendous poetic power. One thing that is admirable about this poetry collection is the energetic imagination and emotional intensity. All poems included in Cloud Compass by Marta Knobloch show the poet’s supreme lyrical triumph. These poems are undoubtedly quite powerful.



Reviews for Andrew’s Animal Adventures: 24 Poems for Young People


5.0 out of 5 stars -`Mamma `possum has a pouch like a kangaroo. Her babies are born and live there too.’

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAME TOP 100 REVIEWER on July 10, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition

Texas author and poet Marta Knobloch is an award-winning wrtier whose collections of poetry, ecological fables, plays and short stories are widely recognized – in literary magazines and anthologies in the United States, Australia, Ireland, Italy and England…But none of that sets an adequate stage for the charm of her book ANDREW’S ANIMAL ADVENTURES brought to vivid life form her own memories of her sons’ first encounters with the wildlife of the Chesapeake Bay region.

Frogs, beavers, ospreys doing cannonballs, mockingbirds, owls, and oysters are a few of the animals in these poems accompanied by the fines of animal photographs

BEAVERS

Beavers go faster than my Dad’s canoe.
They use their tails as a paddle too.
Don’t brush their teeth when they go to bed,

They’d rather chew on a tree instead.
When a tree falls down, they drag it to the lake
Then use the trunk and branches to make
A house called a lodge, without a floor,

Swim under water to their front door.
Wouldn’t it be fun after school
To jump in your living room swimming pool?

Luminous poems filled with the discoveries of young boys encountering nature – Marta Knobloch has this idiom down pat. A lovely little book. Grady Harp, July 14


5.0 out of 5 stars – An excellent collection of poems for children

By Connie Tidwell on August 25, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition

In Andrew’s Animal Adventures, Marta Knowbloch took this reader on a journey into imagination and the celebration of remembered childhood encounters with nature. This poetic narrative, written in the voice of a young boy, presents an invitation to experience with him the best of childhood exploration. In a world redefined by technology herein lies an invitation to a simpler time, to outdoor play, and to the beauty and excitement of nature. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who has a place of influence with children. In fact I recommend this book to anyone who celebrates their own childhood with fond memories.


5.0 out of 5 stars – A Fun and Informative Book of Poems about Animals!

By Jjspina on July 10, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition

An informative and fun way to learn about animals through poems. The poems are cleverly done in a musical tone. The pictures of each animal are beautiful. A very different way to educate children about wildlife in a easy to understand verse.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to parents for their children to help them learn about the animals around us in a fun way.

I was given this book for an honest and unbiased review.