Featured Book of the Month

In Rare Fuel, Rex Wilder's fourth book, winner of the Finishing Line Press Donna Wolf-Palacio Poetry Prize, the author is "the Virgil who guides us through the underworld of his own personal hell" (George Bilgere), "his time as an inpatient in a mental health facility, alongside the kindness, the weirdness, the characters and the discoveries he made there. You can place it alongside the language's other great verse chronicles of madness: Christopher Smart, say, or Ivor Gurney" (Stephanie Burt). The book resonates with the wisdom of a man "deeply invested in the mortal world," as A.E. Stallings once highlighted. The poems ring with "the exhilaration of freedom from the chains of confinement" (Grace Schulman). Rex Wilder does not merely return to form here; he transcends it, offering readers a rare and vibrant fuel to illuminate their darkest nights.

The Review:

Genre: Poetry

5 Stars

A magnetically charged Prolific Poet 

This collection of poetry and prose by Rex Wilder is a remarkable work of words. The words almost flow across the pages of Rare Fuel. I enjoyed reading this collection, and entering the mind of this prolific poet. Such a wonderful read. My favorite was Balance, because I can relate to his words, which emote his feelings and thoughts. Some think that a poem has to rhyme to be a poem, though that is not true, when this poet creates those lyrical rhymes about feelings, and it shows a talent of a true poet. I love poetry, especially well written, and I don't mean proper stanzas or verse, but with free verse, it gives a lot of leeway to the poet. A freedom to put thoughts and feelings to paper, and when you can show the feelings through words, and the reader, can feel it, then you know this is one of the better poets I have read. I loved this so much, I read many of the poems twice. I love all types of poetry from classic to contemporary, and this is just an amazing collection. I am also very fond of Two Harbors. In this collection, sometimes the poem is short and other times long, and it doesn't matter how long or short, but what the words show when you read them. When you read them, you feel them, and they aren't just words, but something you can't even explain. I look forward to reading more by this poet.