Wisdom and wit--and just a hint of sass--underlie this first published collection of poetry by Ruth Maus. In Valentine, a juxtaposition of Kansas native personality and Smith College academic oozes out in poetic form. A reader will turn these pages like a child reading Silverstein, filling with delight and awe as poems are discovered and savored by the tongue and by the imagination. This book includes original illustrations by the poet.

Finalist--The Birdy Poetry Prize, by Meadowlark Books, 2019.