M. L. Liebler – författare

A new collection from Detroit poet M. L. Liebler, a unique voice in contemporary poetry.

Wide Awake in Someone Else’s Dream is a collection of traveling poems written in Russia, Israel, Germany, and China that take the reader on a contemplative journey through both the geography of these countries and their cultures as well as through the inward mind of the narrator. As Liebler travels the world, he wrestles with themes of self-discovery, spirituality, identity, and change, and renders poems in his signature raw and defiant style. Thoughtful and direct, these poems look toward beauty and contemplation in a bitter world that has become fraught with mistrust and misunderstanding.

Wide Awake in Someone Else’s Dream is divided into four sections, the first three of which are set in specific locales—Russia, Germany, and Jerusalem. The final section is not limited to a single geographic location but still finds Liebler traveling through different lands and the resultant emotions of dislocation, alienation, and vulnerability that his surroundings provoke. Throughout this collection Liebler’s poems touch on issues of political upheaval, exploitation, and corruption and look at the personal and spiritual transformation left in their wake. This ability to give readers a glimpse of a bleak global reality translated by a hopeful eye has earned Liebler’s poems comparisons to the richly imagistic and spiritual work of George Trakl.

In all, this collection is characterized by its calm and powerful voice, which has a musical sensibility in its spare and straightforward presentation. Fans of Liebler’s work and general readers of poetry will enjoy Wide Awake in Someone Else’s Dream.

New short fiction by some of Michigan’s well-known and highly acclaimed authors.

Bob Seger''s House and Other Stories is a collection of short stories written by some of Michigan''s most well-known fiction writers. This collection of twenty-two short stories serves as a celebration not only of the tenth anniversary of the Made in Michigan Writers Series in 2016 but also of the rich history of writing and storytelling in the region. As series editors Michael Delp and M. L. Leibler state in their preface, "The stories contained in this anthology are a way to stay connected to each other. Think of them as messages sent from all over the map, stitching readers and writers together through stories that continue to honor the ancient art of the fire tale, the hunting epic, and all of the ways language feeds the blood of imagination."

The scope of this project reflects the dynamic and diverse writing that is currently taking place by people who consider their home to be the Great Lakes state. Stories are far-ranging, from the streets of Detroit and the iconic presence of the auto industry to the wild tracts of the Upper Peninsula. The book vibrates with that tension, of metal versus rock and human frailty taking on the pitfalls and hardships of living in this world.

In his foreword, Charles Baxter asks, "Does a region give rise to a particular kind of literature? Michigan is so fiercely diverse in its landscapes, its economy, and its demographics that it presents anybody who wants to write about it with a kind of blank slate. You can''t summarize the state easily." These storytellers exude a "Michigan aesthetic" in their writing, something that cannot be learned in a textbook or taught in a classroom but can be felt through the tales of these storytellers.

The experience of picking up this collection is akin to taking a drive from the mechanized world and arriving several hours later in one of the wildest places on earth. Readers of short fiction will enjoy the multitude of voices in this anthology.

Poems that take a poignant look at societal issues and contemporary American topics, such as working-class life and twenty-first century war.

In I Want to Be Once, M. L. Liebler approaches current events with a journalistic eye and a poet''s response. Part autobiographical, part commentary, the lines of Liebler''s poems come hard-hitting, but not without moments of great tenderness and humanity.

Ordered into three sections, I Want To Be Once provides readers with a look into the author''s personal life, as well as our collective history as a nation vis-a-vis the American media. The first section, called "American Life," captures the experience of coming of age in working-class 1960s America and helps to paint the picture of Liebler''s early political involvement. The poems in the second section, "American War," focus on the author''s cultural work in Afghanistan for the U.S. State Department; Liebler successfully captures the sad realities and fleeting stability of everyday life in Kabul, Jalalabad, and Kandahar. In the final section, "American Psalms," the short, satirical poems muse on present-day American society, culture, and the arts. In these poems, Liebler remarks on everything from public education to public radio to Russia''s feminist punk rock protest group Pussy Riot and more.

The poems in I Want to Be Once are emotionally grounding but punctuated with a humor that keeps things in perspective. Readers with an interest in poetry and social commentary will be drawn to this engaging collection.