Tell It Slant : Finishing Line Press : 9781646623198 : 1646623193 : 16 Oct 2020 : Like the shielded children in Emily Dickinson's poem, from which this luminous first collection takes its title, we readers bear witness to a great deal of fierce truth within its pages, but revealed to us gradually, as recommended by the Belle of Amherst. There is an enigmatic radiance throughout, whether beneath the cool blueness of moonlight or under the warmth of summer sun, but always both sky and skin consistently reflect the troubled light of Senese's intimate portraits of her roots, mysterious haunts from her past, and of parents brought back to life for us through retrospection and through dreams; indeed, ephemeral methods of recall that "just tremble beneath the surface- the rumbling of memory." In the end, Senese keeps her promise to us, to "try to soothe away your fear" ... no doubt Ms. Dickinson would approve. -Robt O'Sullivan, regional editor, San Diego Poetry Annual and host of the Poe