Terry Stokes — Poet, Associate Professor of English, University of Cincinnati:

        The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry, edited by Alan Kaufman (Thunder's Mouth Press; $24.95)

        “This is a book I'm reading with my freshman English class and includes everything from the beat poets to contemporary slam poets. There's also work by figures such as Bob Dylan and Patti Smith and there's even a poem by the artist Jackson Pollock.

        “It's a great thing to read with college students because they find it fascinating and have heard of a lot of these people.”

        “Outside of class, I read a lot of Latin American short fiction ... it can be very hard to find, because the publishers in many of these countries don't distribute a lot of the work and less is being translated for sale in the United States.”

        Linda Keller

        President, Ohio Valley Romance Writers of America; Community Relations Manager, Barnes & Noble, Newport on the Levee:

        The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (HarperTrade; $15)

        “I just started this and I figured it would be good since Barbara Kingsolver has such a strong following. It's about a woman growing up in the Congo during the '60s under the thumb of her missionary father. She (Kingsolver) has a unique way of writing, which is very lyrical.

        “I love historical fiction, especially the works of Sharon Kay Penman and Katherine Sutcliffe. And I read a lot of historical romance by writers such as Linda Howard and Jill Marie Landis.”

The Gathering Spot: Lord's strength its Word
Bash for the CAC lures artful army
Phoenix fired up for party Thursday
Colorful clothes crowd 'Katie's Closet'
Style extra: Cosmetology school a lesson in sisterhood
Brother believed dead for 30 years found in nursing home
Gorillas fail to spark new dynasty for Philly Zoo
Pazinskis encore with 'King o' the Moon'
Really Compact Discs
Workplace wellness
Mary Higgins Clark grounded in reality
Page turners
Russo stays grim, gritty, yet hopeful
Get To It