blurbs

Reviews for the first poetry album are coming in…

“Anyone who knows Pacific Northwest poet Shannon P. Laws also knows that she could read a crappy purple Scion owner’s manual to you, and it would sound amazing with that husky voice of hers. …I just listened to an interview on KPNW-DB with Shannon talking about her latest poetry album, YOU LOVE ME, YOU LOVE ME NOT. It’s interesting to me how she can take an idea that‘s rather profound and turn it into poetry that often is laugh-out-loud funny, but funny in a way that also makes you say “Ouch, been there.” Having listened to the album, it was extremely fun to hear Shannon tell about some of the life experiences–including that one horrible job to which I, for one, can relate–that prompted some of her poems.”

“Bold. Brassy. Beautiful. The poetry of Shannon Laws takes the audience on an exquisite journey through the complexities of wanting to be loved, giving love, and the cruel betrayal of its opposite.   “You Love Me, You Love Me Not” is delivered in Laws’s raspy, well-honed stage voice that I could listen to ’til the cows come home. To borrow a line from “Love Me . . . Not,” I gladly will “listen with my skin” and feel transfixed.”
—Laural Leigh, award-winning writer, editor, and international freelancer

“…a standout…” recording, and “…passionate and sensual poetry that greatly display the fiery passion of being in love and the cold controlled demeanor of finding yourself in the off times…The poetry from Shannon is a real treat and her voice and confidence is great.  Sounds like the work of a seasoned veteran of the field.”
-Keenan Ketzner, What’s Up Magazine, July 2019

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“With Fallen, Shannon Laws has evolved into someone that readers in the northwest should pay attention to. Like a complex pantomime, Laws’ charming, conversational lyric style hides poems that are personal yet complex, dark, intense, deep,  heartbreaking, and at times hilarious. Each of them also have a subtle grit and seriousness to them.  Like all poets worth their salt, she doesn’t the dichotomy of being particular and speaking to many audiences. Highly, highly recommended.”
—Robert Lashley, author of The Homeboy Songs

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Shannon Law’s poetry entices the reader along a windy path of shared emotion, at times tiptoeing gently toward the topic, at others racing headlong toward it, and at times inviting humor in. The mix is wonderful. From that girl in school who builds forts, to the new owner of a used mattress who sleeps in the body-shaped dip left by its prior occupant, to a three-timing lover, to the loss of a child, these poems circumscribe a relatable life and invite introspection. It is nearly impossible to pick just one favorite from this gem of a book.
—Laurel Leigh, author of the blog Dear Writers

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In “ Fallen”, Shannon Laws has written polished and evocative poetry that intrigues the reader page after page, often demanding one backs-up and re-reads. Her metaphorical language is usually of common words that she newly loads with much information as her opening poem tells “ I am a girl who builds forts.” – ones of self-protection from expecting assault. In the first section, she defines herself as a teen with Catholic guilt over lust that marks her indecisions until this memorable line. “Pain oozes //  weeps down the bark of me  //  black like sap”.

“… In “Pearl”, she tells of such a difficult loss to accept, that one is left with a reminder in one’s shoe, so you limp forever!  Your head { and maybe your heart }can be “a plot of vines,” yet “my breath’s bank of days// still holds cash” is a positive summation.

Yes, there is so much to discover and enjoy in this third collection of Shannon Law’s poems, so I challenge you to find our own favourite poems with lines that you will remember in admiration and repeat to others. She is a master of bringing significant life changes alive with pain or passion in a few well-chosen words!
—Bernice Lever, author of “Small Acts”, Black Moss Press, Windsor, ON, Canada

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This poetry is not camera-shy. Full of imagery and emotion, it ranges across the days with bursts of action and reflection. Laws writes of quiet eroticism, as well as memory and humor from the north Pacific region, where she has lived most of her life. Shannon P. Laws has gifts of observation, humanity, and powerful expression. A valuable choice for poetry lovers, who will find it natural to read and understand.
—Denise DuMaurier, author of Follow Me Down

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Shannon Laws’ poems are ventures, many journeys of the mind and imagination and others literal walks, day and night, to and from home, work, and school; they render fresh observations of the routine and familiar: interactions in kitchen and living quarters, fields of local plants and critters, the hum of machinery.  They also probe the mysteries of the human condition, posing elemental issues: love and death and loss, the aching solitariness of human experience, the straining for meaning, clarity, and confirmation, the yearning for contact and connection, and the guises humans adopt in the consequent interchange.
—Ron Leatherbarrow, Professor of Literature, Whatcom Community College

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 Shannon Laws has been, in many ways, an asset to her community. This book demonstrates that “there’s a revelation flowing…along the ridges of her galaxy.” She employs “footholds of green” to “take our minds to another place.” Shannon Laws is top-niche.
–James Bertolino, author of Ravenous Bliss: New & Selected Love Poems

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“Shannon Laws is not only a fine poet, but truly a professional in every way. But the best part is – she is a terrific person. If you are a lover of poetry, you cannot find better than, Madrona Grove by Shannon P. Laws.”
—Jared McVay, novelist, speaker, screenwriter

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“Madrona Grove instills a love of nature in all its glory. Grab a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa because once you curl up with this book, you won’t be leaving any time soon.”
—Cheryl Ford, poet, Village Books Poetry Group

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“I have had the pleasure to work with Shannon and after reading her poetry, it is my firm belief that right here in Bellingham we have someone who will become known for her ability to meld the connections we all have to the earth and emotions we have as we live our lives. Simply put, this little book of poems is a winner.

These poems, “Written under the Canopy” are magic…… they connect us to each other and to the beauty around us. The words are chosen well but flow from Shannon’s pen with ease.

Shannon gave me a copy of Madrona Grove when first published, and after reading it, I bought three more copies and sent them to my poet friends. As a side note, each responded with interest and asked to be kept abreast of her work. Thank you, Shannon, for sharing your words and thoughts with us.”
—Jonathan Winter, Co-Owner of SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention

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“Shannon P. Laws’ 2012 volume of poems, Madrona Grove, from Chickadee Productions, is a book all poetry lovers should own.  Reading it is like “swimming in sunlight thick with sounds.”  The poems repeatedly connect the physical world around us with the inner world: “I dip a stick into the stream like a pen into ink to write my name.” She follows this with: “The sun grabs my letters … throws them in the air.” You’ll want to leap after her words.”
—James Bertolino, a poetry professor, Ret.

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“A down to earth collection of poetry that captures the unique flavor of Pacific Northwest coastal wonders.”
—Tom Ensign, artist, musician

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“This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”

George Bernard Shaw