, , og:title:Kim McNealy Sosin og:description:Kim Sosin's page showing her chapbooks and travel photos. og:image:

       Kim Sosin Chapbook

3/2025 Not Quite on Grand Avenue: Poems of the Early Years

I'm excited to tell you of the publication of my first chapbook of poems, Not Quite on Grand Avenue: Poems of the Early Years. The book is available at Finishing Line Press.

Here is what the two reviewers said:
Kim Sosin's poems look through the mist of memory to evoke the life of "all the girls she's been," from the danger of being a pretend wild horse on a red gravel road to the deep joy of her 10-year-old self on her spotted pony riding the plains. She takes us to secret places, through a blizzard, from golden sunsets to the blue hours to the darkness as she explores family and the meanings of love. Like the daughter peering into an old hardware store to discover the ghost of a father dancing with a broom, these tenderly nuanced poems rub away the dust to look into the mysteries and truths of the lost times.
–Meg Files, author of The Beasts

Not Quite on Grand Avenue is a rekindling of days gone by that are not quite bygones yet. In it, Kim McNealy Sosin deftly captures the spirit of a young girl as she navigates the highs and lows of childhood in a rural town. Whether on her horse, a bike, or driving with her brother on "Minimum Maintenance Roads," many of these poems sing of freedom, but the heart of this collection resides in family ties. Each section of the book chronicles the story of a family torn apart by an "unspeakable" wrong that can only be sewn back together through devotion and the passage of time. These poems invite their reader to witness poignant moments of Sosin's early life and the result is a collection that is honest, heartfelt, and deeply moving.
–Shyla Shehan, author of Mining the Gap

      

11/2025: Reflections of France: Images and Poems



Our book Reflections of France: Images and Poems is published by and being sold by Uncollected Press, https://therawartreview.com


Reviewers' comments:
Through memories of Sosin and Rives, this book effortlessly transports the viewer to the ever-enchanting city of Paris. And beyond. The cover of the famed clockface of the Musee D‘Orsay sets the stage for the colorful pages of illustration and poetry that follow. Rives' nostalgic poetry echoes the sights, sounds, and smells of the city's well-traveled streets and avenues as well as her deeply felt personal reflections. Her words are always paired with Sosin's thoughtful illustrations that strike the reminiscent chords of world-renowned landmarks … Jeanne D' Arc, the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Luxembourg Garden, Notre Dame, Omaha Beach, many more. This creative duo offers a book that overflows with color and detail, senses and depth, to present the perpetual delights of an extraordinary place. Brava!
-Connie Spittler, author/editor, Turkey Creek Preserve: A Sacred Journey, with author Mary Bernier.

Filled with reminiscences of Paris at various times in the lives of the authors, this little jewel of a volume depicts, in words and images, both the beautiful and the sometimes not so beautiful facets of that iconic city. Rives remembers those days with a kaleidoscope of poetic description as colorful as the stained-glass windows of Notre Dame. From the memories "…now carefully wrapped in [the] frayed silk" of a pink scarf she purchased there to learning from her father "how to honor…hand on my heart, head bowed" at Suresnes, this book brings the experiences alive with skillfully written poetry accompanied by Sosin's beautiful, vivid images.
-Bonnie Wehle, author of A Certain Ache: Poems in Women's Voices