As a disclaimer, I should mention that I have known Elise online since the days when CompuServe was the pre-eminent social, technical, and professional network in cyberspace. Both of us were participants in the very busy Literary Forum where Elise was on the staff for almost ten years.

Summer Serenade was released on August 10 by Heart Ally Books at 112 pages. Skidmore’s previous books (Looking for the Light: Hindsight is 2020, A Dance of Dreams. among others) show us a prolific poet and short story author. She also produces her books’ illustrations.

From the Publisher

“A New Yorker by birth, Elise Skidmore lives on the south shore of Long Island with her husband. Recently retired, they enjoy spending time together and love to travel. Their nest may be empty, and though she misses her two daughters, she is very proud of the wonderful women they have become.

“She has been a writer since childhood, with poetry being her focus for many years. It’s her way of working through dark times and celebrating the joyful ones. SUMMER SERENADE is her fifth volume of poetry. Two of her earlier anthologies were finalists for Epic eBook Awards. She is also an amateur photographer and her original photography can be seen in all her books. While one may summarize Elise in any number of wonderful descriptors, the chief among them must always be a writer.”

Since I grew up on Florida’s Gulf Coast, I appreciate the book’s dedication: “To anyone who has held a seashell to their ear and heard the ocean singing.” Yes, I have. And then there’s the opening story “You Wanted a Story.” It’s a wonderful prelude to the poems that follow.

—Malcolm