Sonoma's Lisa Summers Releases ‘Star Thistle & Other Poems’

Sonoma poet Lisa Summers’ stunning collection of verse Star Thistle & Other Poems, has just been published by FMRL of Berkeley.

“In Star Thistle I really set out to explore, in various forms and voices," says Summers, "the profoundly altered landscapes of the West – the consumer terrain of malls and big box stores, the freeways, tract house developments, the invasive plants and garbage dumps, the loss of wild places – through fable and myth."

The Sonoma-based author’s debut is available locally at Readers’ Books. It will be launched with a reading presented by Words and Strings at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 16 at the Epicurean Connection.

Sharing the bill will be fellow writers Daedalus Howell - whose FMRL has published the book - along with Ken Smith, Shotsie Gorman, Lin Marie De Vincent and Steven Meloan. "Half People," the acoustic version of Sonoma’s Static People featuring Dmitra Smith and Pascal Faivre will also perform.

Originally from North Carolina, Summers grew up in San Francisco and Marin County.  Her work has appeared in publications including the Atlanta Review and The Journal of Life Sciences.

She holds a MA in Creative Writing from Sonoma State University and lives in Northern California with her husband and four children. This is her first collection of poetry.

“Summers’ work represents the vanguard of local letters and it’s a pleasure to help deliver it to the world,” says FMRL publisher Daedalus Howell. “She delivers emotional gut punches and mordant one-liners with equal aplomb. Her work reminds that it’s an exciting time for both poetry and publishing.”