Bücher von Colleen Alles

This chapbook traces one woman's journey to and through new motherhood, from when she first discovers she is pregnant ("Houseguest") to when she struggles to keep an energetic toddler away from the dog's water bowl ("Sixteen Months"). With poignancy and precision, Alles captures the emotions that accompany bringing new life into the world, from the terrifying fear of losing that baby ("Early Spring") to the joyful disruptions infants cause ("Induction"), and all the emotions in between. Alles, an award-winning author, shares her hard-to-put-into words experiences as a new mom in this thoughtful assemblage of poems. Composed in a sleepless, dreamy haze, these lines are the heart of what it means to enter the world of parenthood. "Lullaby," included in the chapbook, was selected as the Poetry Society of Michigan's 3rd place finisher in the society's annual poetry contest (category: anaphoric poems) in August of 2016. It also appears in the Fall 2016 issue of Peninsula Poets: Contest Edition (73-2). A former teacher, Alles currently works at a public library in West Michigan to best share her love of all things books. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Red Cedar Review, Peninsula Poets, Cardinal Sins, Write Michigan 2016 Anthology, and others. In 2016, her short story "Fifth Circle" won the Readers' Choice award in the Kent District Library's annual Write Michigan short story contest. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and Wayne State University. She writes when she has time (and when no one else is home).

In a series of brave little poems, "Porch Light to the Longshoreman" brings to life what it means to be out in the world, having adventure, but being ultimately called back by the porch light of one's own home. The emotional interior of life in the Midwest is central to this collection. Some poems, like "Reeds Lake" highlight specific areas in West Michigan. Others speak to the challenges of having young children, or needy dogs to walk. All in all, this collection speaks to the every day as much as it speaks to the broad, collective scope of what it means to have life, love, and family.