Thank you to Peter Mladinic for this excellent review of Ken Tomaro's latest collection. [Sensitive Content Warning]
The House of Representatives: a review of You’ve got it all wrong, by Ken Tomaro. Prolific Pulse Press. Raleigh, NC. 2025. $12.95 paper.
Reviewed by Peter Mladinic
Just as there are representatives in politics, poetry too has its representatives, one difference being: there’s no party line to the imagination. Ken Tomaro, in the state of Ohio, is reminiscent of two poets in the neighboring state of Pennsylvania, John Yamrus and Dan Flore III. Like them, he eschews capitalization and standard punctuation, and like them, his comments are blunt, succinct, and direct. Yet all there are distinct voices. Ken Tomaro, like the hero in Frank Capra’s film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, speaks for all of us. Three things worth noting in Tomaro’s poems are his imagery: his syntax, particularly his interpolated interjections, and his use of the first-person plural we.
Tomaro’s images are exacting, “on the mark, in that they are essential to the whole poem. In “I remember the distinct aroma” as the title indicates, the olfactory takes precedence. The speaker, in a coffee shop smelled an aroma reminiscent of “Polish donuts…from childhood.” The coffee shop workers “couldn’t tell me which pastry it was because I couldn’t describe it.” At the end, his question “but it goes deeper than that, doesn’t it?” is like the donut image at the start, absolutely essential to an appreciation of this imagist poem about memory. “Make it stop” relies on a tactile image. The speaker is irked or annoyed by people violating his personal space.
they were standing 3 feet from my desk talking about their kids, comparing all the sports they were in all the after-school activities which coach does his job, which one needs to retire blocking the isle so I couldn’t escape if I wanted to
This tactile image leads to a comment on society that is both poignant and funny. His pain is his readers’ pleasure as he says, “death is 5 feet away from me in the living room every night.” "Cash,” paper money, in “I can’t give you that” is what the speaker wants for Christmas. It leads him to say, “I can’t give her her old life back / I can’t give her a new set of legs / I can’t give her a million dollars.” This poem is similar to, yet opposite from “Playing God.” In that poem he looks out a window, “down on the traffic / speeding down the highways.” Rather than the person painfully aware of his limitations in “I can’t give you that,” here, in “Playing God” he pretends the cars are little race cars, “toys / running on an electric track / and I am …deciding how fast or slow they go.” The interpolated interjection is an element of syntax Tomaro uses to achieve compactness in his poems. It is particularly effective in “Summer of ‘89, where he puts one complete comment inside another.
the cement blocks we walked along were perfect squares but now, after years of Lake Erie slapping against them made them worn down and smooth there were little pockets along the surface
“Lake Erie slapping against them made them warm and smooth” the complete comment within the other complete comment “The cement blocks …were perfect squares / but now …there were little pockets along the surface “layers the texture of those blocks, adds to these things readers can touch. In “Chickens,” the speaker, running errands, sees something out of the ordinary, “two chickens pecking away at a pile of leaves …in suburbia.” He says, “I laugh for a moment at the absurdity of what I’ve seen / this is truly absurd; I can’t be the only one who thinks so.”
The comment within the comment— “this is truly absurd” accents his surprise at seeing “chickens where chickens shouldn’t be.” Other poems in which interpolated interjections play a vital part are “Reminiscence” and “Bad genes. In “A glittering shitshow of smash-faced adults” the interpolated interjection acts as a bridge of time linking adulthood to childhood:
I’m sitting in the office listening to John Prine pining for that good old country life feeling all weepy and shit he knew the deal he knew how it was and there I was a 14-year-old boy with a half-assed mustache surrounded by a town full of smashed-faced kids
The interjections “he knew the deal / he knew how it was” are followed by “I was,” and a memory of childhood.
Like the hero in Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ken Tomaro speaks for we, the people. One of his talents is that his deeply personal voice speaks for all of us. Like us, the speaker is an imperfect person living in an imperfect world. If he could he’d tell God that “this masterpiece he created / is just a pile of mud and sticks / slapped together haphazardly.” The title of the book comes from the first line of “We all carry anger.” With his direct address, the speaker conveys empathy. “I think you’ve got it all wrong / but I can see your grief from losing something.” Farther along, “I know you had a plan / and maybe it didn’t go as planned.” And finally, (profoundly), “you continue to do all these things / you say you can’t do /without even realizing you’re doing them.” This book does not lack for humor. “The big God damned bang” gives a unique spin to Adam and Eve’s fall from grace:
This is for you and only you. Go forth and explore, take in all the beauty and the glory. Go wherever you want, do whatever you want. Think and feel however you want. Just don’t touch that fucking apple, is all I’m saying. Give me a fucking break, man. Don’t invite me into your house for a party and tell me eat, drink, be merry, just don’t sit on the couch in the family room. It’s an antique, my grandmother’s, in pristine condition…
This irreverently funny passage conveys an exasperation people must feel at one time or another when thinking about Adam and Eve’s being cast out of paradise, to toil and sweat and grow old and die.
This passage of satire depicts the human condition of transience and mortality. Ken Tomaro’s topic is the human condition. The quotable passages in his poems are many. He is poignant, funny, irreverent, inquisitive, and contemplative. With an attentively attuned ear and a sharp eye for beauty, he makes the subjective objective, the local universal. He says things his way, as he simultaneously instructs and entertains. At the end of the book, he addresses his readers. “Here’s wishing you well and safe travels.” He means it. And his book is deserving of many readers. ... Peter Mladinic was born and raised in New Jersey. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1973 and earned an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Arkansas in 1985. Professor emeritus at New Mexico Junior College, where he was a member of the English faculty for thirty years. During that time, he was a board member of the Lea County Museum and president of the Lea County Humane Society. He is the author of seven books of poems; his most recent book, Maiden Rock, is available from Uncollected Press (2024). An animal rights advocate, he lives in Hobbs, New Mexico, USA.
Hear what Ken Tomaro has to say: “We don’t all get a fair shake in life, which will become clearer to you after reading this collection of poetry. Life is, among other things, a series of memories, good and bad, of death and grief. Hate and happiness. Kindness and compassion. Sometimes it’s just plain ridiculous and all we can do is laugh or shake our heads in disbelief. But, everything in this life is very real as are these poems. My hope is simply that anyone reading this book finds them relatable and that they evoke some kind of emotion whether it’s joy or discomfort.”
Reviewers have great praise for Tomaro’s work:
The voice in Ken Tomaro’s new chapbook, You’ve got it all wrong is at times despairing, often celebratory, and always restless, hungry for truth, not one absolute, but the many truths beneath the surface of every day. He finds the extraordinary in his life and in the lives of others, and puts it into sharp, elegant lines of poems written by a human being in a beautifully complicated, troubled, imperfect world. His poems raise questions, offer no easy answers, and go straight to the heart. They are particular but also universal. Readers can see themselves and be thankful for the significant fact of being alive. Mostly, these poems take you in, and delight. In “Well, hello,” the chapbook’s final poem, Ken Tomaro says, “wellness is in the eye of the beholder / it’s in a good cup of coffee / a good hand in poker or / laughing out loud when you haven’t in a while.”
Peter Mladinic, author of The Whitestone Bridge and Maiden Rock
Give me a nice day, some really good tequila and a book by Ken Tomaro and I’m good to go.
John Yamrus, author of Don’t Shoot the Messenger: Just Give Him a Good Place to Hide
Ken’s work speaks from the base of his heart directly to the base of yours, leaving the mind to eavesdrop. His words evoke moments, feelings, memories so strongly that the conscious mind can only hang on for the ride and this collection has you nodding in agreement before you can even process what was said. This gift, this curse of his, is neatly packaged up for us to experience in this collection
We are pleased to announce the new release of Nolcha Fox’s Poetry Collection, Writing Between the Lines”
Each natural jewel has its own unique brilliance. Catch the fire in a diamond and it’s like no other. As Nolcha catches the fire from other’s poems, these reflections create a whole new light show. As you read through the poems, you may find remnants of life’s experience weaving through. Like the light streams through stained glass windows, there are illuminations, sun dogs of brilliance, fractures melded into brilliant streams of color, of light. ~~~
Nolcha Fox is fearless. She walks the literary tightrope between success and failure with grace and elegance and she never ever disappoints. For my money, she’s simply one of the most remarkable writers to come along in years.
John Yamrus, author of Don’t Shoot the Messenger: Just Give Him a Good Place to Hide
*** Nolcha Fox’s new poetry book, Writing Between the Lines, is a keen collection of poems that begin and end with two lines from another poet’s poem. Although two lines are credited to another poet, the reader is taken into a new story and resolution decorated with vivid imagery and metaphors.
Barbara Leonhard, author of Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir
***
“Writing Between the Lines”by Nolcha Fox is a collection that surprises at every turn. Written as part of a 30-poems-in-30-days challenge, each piece begins and ends with borrowed lines from other poets, yet what happens in between is unmistakably Fox’s own voice.
The poems move effortlessly between humour and heartbreak. In “Drunk,” night, sleep, and dawn stumble together like a merry band of revellers, while “My Father’s Death” cuts deeply with raw grief and memory. “Dog Days” transforms the sun into a mischievous dog splashing through a creek, while “Keep Things Simple” delivers biting dark wit.
Nolcha Fox excels at capturing the contradictions of human experience, sorrow and absurdity, longing and laughter. Her imagery is sharp, her tone daring, and her honesty uncompromising.
We are excited to announce the release of this fun and thoughtful collaboration known a “Bro ken Rengay – Unruly Poetry” written by the magnificent trio of Nolcha Fox, Melissa Lemay, and Barbara Leonhard.
Prolific Pulse Press LLC is pleased to welcome to new authors to our group. Melissa and Barbara are no strangers to writing, but this is their first full length publication with us.
Please join us with the hearty welcome! Nolcha is a returning author, and she has more under the secret dome of poetry. It won’t be much longer for you to find out what it is.
Get to know these women through their author pages on ProlificPulse.com
Recently, we completed an interview with these three women. It’s time to share and let you in on their thoughts and efforts to honor the beauty of poetry.
We would like to welcome the authors of Bro ken Rengay: Unruly Poems, Nolcha Fox, Melissa Lemay, and Barbara Leonhard.
Congratulations on your collaboration resulting in Bro ken Rengay: Unruly Poems
With this big release, I know you must feel much anticipation and excitement.
Tell us about Bro ken Rengay. So, what’s “rengay” anyway?”
NF: Other than alternating 3-line/2-line stanzas and a startling lack of punctuation, I’ve written them several ways. I’ve written a rengay with me and my multiple personalities. I’ve written rule-breaking rengays with Melissa and Barb. I recently wrote a rengay with David Bogomolny, in which the 3-line/2-line structure was different from what I’d done previously. It’s a form best written with coffee or wine, and a weird sense of humor.
ML: I like coffee. I think I have an explanation of rengay memorized at this point.😅It’s a form of linked verse invented by Garry Gay, whom I’ve had the pleasure of “meeting” at an international rengay gathering via Zoom. He created it as an alternative to the Japanese forms renga or renku. He named it “rengay” because of his last name. Initially, Garry created the form with two poets in mind. In a two-person rengay, the structure follows a 3-2-3-3-2-3 line count, with each 3-line stanza having a syllable count of 5-7-5, and each 2-line stanza having a syllable count 7-7. Or in Nolcha’s, Barbara’s, and my case, whatever-syllable-count-we-want (though I am the one who sticks most closely to the original form).🙃
If you’re confused, it’s okay. I still get confused with what I’m doing in rengay poetry, since I write them with different sets and numbers of people. Here is an example of a two-person rengay I wrote with Nancy Brady:
Totality
NB:
moonlight…
the violinist plays
a nocturne
ML:
shadows pirouette
across the sidewalk
NB:
the morning’s red sky–
we fear we’re in
for bad weather
ML:
sunlight
through the clouds
a robin’s song
NB:
eclipse totality
the birds go quiet
ML:
covered in
golden glow of twilight
the violinist plays
Here is an example of a three-person rengay (never-before-seen!) that I wrote with Barb and Nolcha:
Noteworthy Duel
ML:
tinkling piano keys
I blast classical music
to drown out the neighbor’s bass
NF:
bass is an earthquake
shaking my bones
BL:
I rock them with Rachmaninov
I would give them the keys to good living—
if they would listen
ML:
or perhaps hypnotize them
‘you will find a new apartment’
NF:
one of us has to
move or turn down the noise
it won’t be me
BL:
the discord is noteworthy
time to change the tunes
You can see the way the number of people alters the lines of each stanza. It is also common for writers to create solo rengay. Another variation is the six-person rengay, in which the line count follows that of the two-person rengay. I also modified the form to accommodate four writers. You may see an example of that here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2024/07/31/reflections-or-a-rengay/
BL: I believe Nolcha and Melissa have said it best. I don’t have anything to add except that it was fun learning about this form.
How did you each gain knowledge of this writing style?
NF: Melissa introduced the form to us, and suggested Barb and I write a rengay with her. Melissa is great with forms. Barb’s a real trooper, and I’m allergic to them. Melissa carefully described the form. Up until we submitted the manuscript, we still screwed up the number of lines we were each supposed to write.
ML: If I’m remembering correctly, I believe it was Nancy Brady who introduced me to the form. I enjoy collaborating on poetry with anyone and everyone, and I reached out to her and asked about writing together. I think I suggested renga, and she wasn’t very familiar. So, she suggested rengay. She also introduced me to Sherry and Zoe Grant, the creators of Raining Rengay. They hold international rengay gatherings (I believe twice a year) that are usually attended by Garry Gay and Michael Dylan Welch, one of the very first to write rengay.
BL: I had never written a rengay poem until Melissa invited Nolcha and me to collaborate. It was an interesting and enjoyable experience. Because the three of us were writing each poem, I sometimes forgot which stanzas would be mine. How all our voices came together was magical. Collaborations are becoming more popular these days because people can learn about new poetic forms and bond during the creation process.
Where have you published poetry of this style?
NF: We published in Raining Rengay (thanks, Melissa), Medusa’s Kitchen, Collaborature, MasticadoresCanada, Chewers by Masticadores, and LatinosUSA.
BL: I believe you’re right, Nolcha. Nolcha records our publications on a spreadsheet. She’s our historian.
ML: You’re welcome, Nolcha.🫶🏻I think they’ve covered most of the places we’ve published. I also have written rengay that have been published on The Skeptic’s Kaddish, as well as those that I’ve published on my personal blog.
How did you decide to create what must have been a somewhat challenging collection?
NF: It was in the back of our minds when we started writing the second rengay. The more we wrote together, the better we understood each other’s styles, the closer we became to each other, and the easier it was to collaborate. The rengays kept rolling out, and suddenly we had enough for a book.
BL: Yes, the process was organic. We didn’t set out to write a book. We just wanted to have fun. We even collaborated on record-keeping (Nolcha), the submission process (me), and editing (Melissa).
ML: Girls just wanna have fu-un.🎶 I don’t remember who suggested the idea of a collection. Maybe Nolcha? I’m glad it was suggested. As she mentioned, we wrote many of them, and so had the collection to begin with. We discussed putting together a manuscript and submitting it to you, Lisa. I curated the collection in the order that it appears in the book. I like it a lot. It has been a great experience from start to finish.
What challenges come with writing rengay?
NF: The biggest challenge was that we all had lives that sometimes interfered with collaborating. Very occasionally, we forgot to finish a rengay, and we had to remember who wrote the previous-to-last stanza.
BL: To add to what Nolcha said, like I said earlier, I sometimes lost track of which stanzas I wrote, especially if some time passed since the last share. Sometimes, based on what others wrote, I revised my lines for the sake of unity. I suppose the lack of unity would be good for a collection of broken poems.
ML: Part of the challenge for me has been letting go of expectation. It’s challenging in a good way. Let’s say I write the first stanza, or even any subsequent stanza, and pass it along to whoever is next. After that, it’s out of my hands. Wherever it goes is up to whoever comes next. Yet we still work together to bring into form something cohesive that unifies as a whole. Rengay are meant to be thematic or have a linking thread. They aren’t separated stanzas that have no context without each other.
I’ve learned through writing with people with different levels of experience writing rengay. I was taught to follow “link and shift.” In other words, I write the first stanza, then the next person writes their stanza so that it links back to mine and shifts away at the same time. That’s another one of the “rules” we broke. The rengay in this collection are more connected than some, in which each stanza can technically stand alone, yet links together with the others through a common thread.
The bottom line is that this is still a fairly new form. As Nolcha has said, I do like forms. Or she said I’m good with them. Something like that. I take a lot from learning how to write different poetry forms and write them well. However, I don’t like to be a stickler for rules, and I love to bend them and mold them so that I’m happy with what I create.
I would like to recognize Lesley Scoble, the amazing cover artist. Wow! Did she ever create a beautifully perfect cover!
Writing a unique poetry form has clearly been a challenge that you each have surpassed. Now, you have an amazing collection. Where do you go from here? What other forms would you like to try?
NF: We tried writing alternating haiku, and I thought we were successful. Or we just might continue with rengay. We haven’t had any serious conversations about what’s next.
BL: I vaguely recall the haiku, Nolcha. It would be fun to revisit that form and explore others, such as garland tanka or garland haibun. There are many possible forms to collaborate on.
ML: I second the vaguery.🤭I think I remember that. I’m always open to writing just about anything. In addition to rengay, I’ve written collaborative acrostic, tapestry, sestina, haiku sequences, and there might be more I’m not mentioning. As for the three of us together, I think we will write some more rengay poems, and whatever else we get up to. Garland tanka and haibun sound great!
Please share about each of your publications. It’s my understanding that poets and writers can share their work through your blogs and journals.
NF: I’m the editor of Chewers by Masticadores (https://chewersmasticadores.wordpress.com/). I publish a wide variety of writing, artwork, and photography from contributors all over the world. One of my contributors mentioned he could send me recipes from some fancy restaurants, but I’m not convinced it’s a great idea.
Barb and I are co-editors of a new section on LatinosUSA (https://latinosenglishedition.wordpress.com/) called Bookshelf. We use the section to promote books, reviews, and interviews.
BL: I’ve been editor for MasticadoresUSA since November 2022. https://masticadoresusa.wordpress.com/. In November 2024, I created a journal FEED THE HOLY on Blogger. I’m the sole editor and staff. https://feedthehol.blogspot.com/. Because I founded this journal, it holds a special place in my heart. And Nolcha and I enjoy co-editing Bookshelf on LatinosUSA. On my own WordPress blog, Extraordinary Sunshine Weaver, I record my publications and repost blurbs and reviews I’ve written under Barb’s Wordy Blurbs. https://extraordinarysunshineweaver.blog/. Now that I co-edit Bookshelf, I may post my reviews there instead. Although editing three journals takes time, I really enjoy it. Editing is a form of collaboration. I’ve found that in all my editing ventures, I am helping to build community. Supporting authors is fulfilling.
ML: Around the same time Barbara started FEED THE HOLY, I began Collaborature. It is a labor of love, as are most literary journals, I think. Collaborature is a forum dedicated to poetry and short fiction written collaboratively by two or more authors. To not pigeonhole anyone, I’ve allowed for a pretty wide interpretation of what this means. Submissions may include (but are not limited to) poems written by multiple authors, ekphrastic pieces, cento poetry, rengay written collectively… the sky really is the limit. There are as many ways to collaborate in writing as there are people to write with. Get out there and collaborate! Then send in your submissions. Find out more at https://collaborature.blogspot.com
I also host challenges (monthly) at both Tanka Tuesday and dVerse Poets Pub. Check out either or both of those for more collaborative writing opportunities!
Thank you for your time. Others are certain to value what you achieved, as well as your future direction.
ML: Thanks for having us, Lisa!
BL: I’m excited that Prolific Pulse Press believes in our collaborative Rengay collection. Thank you for your support, Lisa!
A resonating and richly crafted collection of poems
Ready?
Then brace yourself for the symphonic rollercoaster through the landscapes of affection, loss, desire, and redemption with William Waldorf’s 101 Stories of Love. In his collection, Waldorf invites his readers to explore myriad forms of love- from whispered intimacy to the poignant ache of absence, from shared laughter in a café to the serene desolation of widowhood. The poet has juggled with varied poetic forms like sonnets, villanelles, and free verse transforming the ordinary experiences into luminous reflections, crafting verses that resonate deeply with readers of all ages. This collection is a celebration of life, memory, and enduring connections, serving as a testament to the indelible impact of love in our souls.
Thank you to Munmun Samanta for her beautiful write up for this outstanding poetry collection. Congratulations to William Waldorf!
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