I am intense. I view the universe in awe and wonderment. My background and training is in Psychology and I marvel at the uniqueness of everyone, not just as physical specimens, but as individual thinking entities. And in considering everything else that is not human, the complexity of life forms and experiences I encounter never ceases to humble me and leaves me with many questions to ponder about what life is and how fortunate "being alive" can be. My poetry reflects my observations and questions of the human condition, recording my perspectives of life’s experiences. I welcome you to view a part of my world. Can you relate? Does it make you happy, angry, sad, or “anything” at all? All I ask is that you remain open and regard your reactions to the thoughts I have tried to convey and examine why you feel the way you do.
Grammatical Riddle
Oxymoron? Yes! Double positive? Not True! So say you.... Yeah, Right!
*"Just for fun and a comment for English grammar teachers everywhere!
"
ATTENTION READERS!
1st Book Review attached!
Title: /The Poetess Within/*
*Reviewed by: Dennison Rey, author of /Torn/ and /On the Outskirts/*
I'm cynical by nature. In fact, I'm cynical /about/ nature. I drive a Hummer, spray aerosol cans toward the ozone layer, and eat ostrich eggs for breakfast. What's more, I loathe poetry. I approach it with a closed mind and tepid tolerance. Poets are leotard-wearing, Renaissance festival nogoodniks
So it was no small miracle when /The Poetess Within/, by Stacia Shaina Star, caught me off-guard and filled me with surprise. Here, at last, was a poetry book that shunned the narcissism inherent in the craft.
To suggest that /The Poetess Within/ is not for leotard-wearing, Renaissance festival nogoodniks would be a falsity, however. It's for everybody. How does Star manage to turn a SUV-driving SOB like me into a Shakespearean fancy-pants? By approaching poetry as both an art and a craft.
There's fine poetry here, to be sure, but where /The Poetess Within/ shines is with the extras. Much like a deluxe-edition DVD, Star provides "Poet's commentary" on select poems. In some instances she covers the craft and in others, the soul.
Ergo: "Written in the Italian sonnet format of the following: abbaabba cc dd ee."
Or: "Everyone has experienced loving someone and not having that love returned. It is one of the most painful experiences in living life fully. But we lose out, if we deny our feelings of love anyways, and hope and faith still guide us in living day to day."
So enjoyable are the author's commentaries (albeit grammatically troubling) that I found myself seeking them out prior to the poetry. Unfortunately, there are too few of them and they are too brief -- two characteristics that demonstrate just how much they contribute to the book as a whole. To learn this much about an author is a rarity and exemplifies the spot-on accuracy of the title. This really /is/ the poetess within.
Here is a poet (excuse me, a /poetess/) with a scholarly affinity for poetry who also opens her heart and reveals her soul (quite poetically, I might add). Her author biography begins with the words, "I am intense," and the themes inside range from unrequited love to road rage to the trials of weight management. Star shares herself with the reader in a manner few authors dare, all for the benefit of the reader.
When we read a sonnet to her mother (definitively titled, "A Sonnet for my Mother") we're tugged. Pages before, we absorb a tear-jerking soliloquy to her daughter and we're moved. Most importantly, we're invested. The only reason we care about mother and daughter is because we share a connection with the woman behind the words.
No, I don't drive a Hummer, nor do I eat ostrich eggs (yuck!) but to picture me as such lends a foundation to these words. Stacia Shaina Star understands that concept in spades, and it pays off here. Rarely do works of poetry amount to more than a quick lick of frosting, but /The Poetess Within/ provides a recipe that other aspiring poets would do well to imitate (it /is/ the greatest form of flattery, after all). By blending a liberal dose of talent with a pinch of acumen, Star has cooked up a tasty morsel -- one that proves to nogoodniks everywhere that you can have your cake and eat it, too!
About Stacia Shaina Star
Stacia's unique perspective flows from survival techniques incorporated through a challenging childhood that formed her into the multi-varied persona that she is. Her insight into human nature conveys a profound sense of Universal intuition and knowledge. She invites the guest into her realm of understanding and beauty. Enjoy your journey!
I am intense. I view the universe in awe and wonderment. My background and training is in Psychology and I marvel at the uniqueness of everyone, not just as physical specimens, but as individual thinking entities. And in considering everything else that is not human, the complexity of life forms and experiences I encounter never ceases to humble me and leaves me with many questions to ponder about what life is and how fortunate "being alive" can be. My poetry reflects my observations and questions of the human condition, recording my perspectives of life’s experiences. I welcome you to view a part of my world. Can you relate? Does it make you happy, angry, sad, or “anything” at all? All I ask is that you remain open and regard your reactions to the thoughts I have tried to convey and examine why you feel the way you do. 
Stacia's unique perspective flows from survival techniques incorporated through a challenging childhood that formed her into the multi-varied persona that she is. Her insight into human nature conveys a profound sense of Universal intuition and knowledge. She invites the guest into her realm of understanding and beauty. Enjoy your journey!