This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Kevin J Johnson studied history, English, poetry and creative writing at the University of Wisconsin--Superior and the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire. His poetry has been published in "Wisteria: The UWS Literary Journal." He has also been published as a guest editorialist at the Eau Claire Leader Telegram, and currently writes online as the Eau Claire County Progressive Examiner. He is originally from Rice Lake, Wisconsin, and currently resides in Eau Claire. This is his first book.
Reviewed by Rich Follett for Readers' Favorite
Kevin J. Johnson’s debut collection, The Sky and the Sea: Poetry and Prose, is an elemental feast for the imagination. Johnson plays upon the contrast between sky and sea with poetic aplomb, interweaving the mythological tension of the two having been separated at the dawn of time and yearning to reunite ever since. His is a point of view which makes the reader feel privileged, as if he or she has been allowed to glimpse an eternal secret - a key to understanding the universe. Appropriately, his view of humankind is humbling. From “Floating on Ashes and Cinders”: We are the sparks that/rise from the campfire/and die/spiraling into/the night.
There is a sense of urgency to these writings, as if the window for us to hear their message might close at any time. In “A Poem to the Sea,” Johnson ponders the mystery that drives his vision: What can I say about you, that hasn’t been said before?/You cover three quarters of the earth and we/gasping for breath/Think we know you.
Poets are largely defined by the questions they ask and the questions those questions engender, each in their turn. In The Sky and the Sea: Poetry and Prose, Johnson tackles some monumental questions with an insight and humility refreshing in a medium where so many offer vain, ill-considered pseudo-answers. The Sky and the Sea: Poetry and Prose by Kevin J. Johnson is a winning first collection from a promising poet and author, written with an honesty and integrity seldom seen in contemporary work.
