Songs of Eretz Poetry Review: Poetry Review Father & Daughter Special Feature: Poems by Adele & Delbert R. Gardner

From the Editor: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present a father & daughter special feature showcasing the poetry of Adele Gardner and her father Delbert R. Gardner. The poems are herein published as separate, searchable posts.

I have no doubt that readers will savor this mini-collection of poems which so eloquently sing of love in so many of its various forms and settings. There is the hopeless love of a good girl for a bad boy. There is the love of an older man for a younger woman who manage to beat the odds. There is the love of a daughter for her father, remembering him in his prime and on his deathbed.

Sadly, Delbert Gardner is no longer with us and left no notes to accompany his poems. His daughter fills this gap by providing thoughtful insights into his process and the context of his work.

So, I invite you to enjoy the beautiful words of these wonderful poets. Have a box of tissues handy just in case.

Steven Wittenberg Gordon, MD

PS: Due to a strange glitch in the blogosphere that has baffled even my tech support specialist (ie: my college-aged son), the last poem in this collection, "Row Your Boat Ashore," may not appear on some systems without clicking on the link provided.

*************************************************************************************************************

About Adele Gardner: Currently cataloging librarian for a public library, Adele Gardner loved being editor for The Mariners' Museum and projectionist for AMC Theatres. Home for her wouldn't be complete without five cats, four birds, a kit harpsichord, and two friendly guitars.

A graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop and an active member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), Ms. Gardner is also literary executor for her father, her mentor and namesake Delbert R. Gardner.

Ms. Gardner's first poetry collection, Dreaming of Days in Astophel, appeared in 2011. With one long and one short poem winning third place in the Rhysling Awards, she’s had over 300 works of short fiction, poetry, art/photography, and nonfiction published in venues such as: Strange Horizons, Daily Science Fiction, The Doom of Camelot, Legends of the Pendragon, Challenging Destiny, Arcane II, PodCastle, New Myths, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Liquid Imagination, Silver Blade, Goblin Fruit, Mythic Delirium, Tales of the Talisman, and Songs of Eretz Poetry E-Zine. Two stories and a poem earned honorable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. Learn more at www.gardnercastle.com.

*************************************************************************************************************

About Delbert R. Gardner: A veteran of World War II, Dr. Delbert R. Gardner taught English literature and creative writing at Keuka College in upstate New York. His recent publications include stories in Unbridled II and Lamplight and poetry in The 2015 Rhysling Anthology, Songs of Eretz Poetry E-Zine, Tales of the Talisman, Star*Line, and Goblin Fruit, among others. Over fifty of Dr. Gardner's poems and stories have appeared in such publications as: The Literary Review, Poetry Digest, American Poetry Magazine, Provincetown Review, and Christian Science Monitor. He is the author of An "Idle Singer" and His Audience: A Study of William Morris's Poetic Reputation in England, 1858-1900. Learn more at www.gardnercastle.com.

*************************************************************************************************************