I am an actor.  Although I am not currently treading the boards, I teach children. This too requires acting. A teacher is always “on.”  

While looking for a new poet to inspire my writing, I was clicking through links from those whom I admire and came upon WordFarm publishers.  I like what they are about, so I clicked on a title that spoke to the actor in me. I marveled at how perfectly and quickly I found a writer whose book of poems fed not only my actor’s appetite, but excited the writer in me, too.

Death-Defying Acts, New Poems by Erin Keane spins tales of circus performers, each with a unique voice and story. From the surly clown (I’ve always hated clowns and Ms. Keane has only cemented that feeling) to the focused, poetic aerialist, I became a voyeur into their dark lives.

With the author’s connection to theatre, I thought this would add another dimension to which I could relate. How right I was. Her characters are fully realized. Her descriptions firmly planted me side by side next to the performers. She took me to the circus.

It would be fascinating to see these poems in production as a theatre piece. Ms. Keen has arranged her poems into a flowing story with the lion tamer and the photo booth; a tattooed lady among others; and deep nights of seduction.

The circus performers open their souls and leave pieces of themselves for me to gather.

This is not my idea of a child’s circus of delights, but it is, indeed, a seducing journey.