Winner of the 2010 International Book Awards, Best Poetry Anthology, View from the Middle of the Road: Pathway to Dreams is the fourth edition in the View series. The poets in this edition are from as far away as South Africa with a little West Coast and Southern U.S. in between.

Biographies, photos and an informative new interview by Tyler Tischelaar with the publisher and authors can be enjoyed at Reader Views.

An Inside Scoop Live radio interview of Daniel Y. Harris and Lucinda Clark by Irene Watson provides insight on how the authors were chosen, and a discussion of the relationship between poet and reader.

Review by William Phenn for Reader Views (11/09):

Beginning with Xavier Clark and right on through the other three poets, "View from the Middle of the Road IV: Pathway to Dreams" is strictly male-dominated. In her introduction, Lucinda Clark explains this by telling the reader that she wanted to show the sensitive side of the male species. She sets out to prove that men can and do have a knack for writing poetry.

Daniel Y. Harris is the second writer to be featured in this 65-page compilation of various styles of masculine poetry. His work has been featured in many magazines and journals throughout the land. His poetry style is different and shows his diversity. From "Baseball" to "The Last Romantic," his work is colorful, descriptive and thought-provoking. Mr. Harris is very family oriented in his poetry as is evidenced in his dedications. His offering to this volume gave it an inspiring shot in the arm.

Pete Klimek is the third poet to add his fare to this anthology. His musical background allows him the insight to write with a song in his heart, as is the case in his offering, "Somebody Cares." Pete has such a unique background, from his days in Prague to his migration to South Africa. His work reflects his love of music and his South African home.

Last but not least is the fine work of Clifford D. Ponder, a man that has written over one-thousand poems. Clifford says that his work is a template through which one may view the effect of time. His poem "Buying a Piece of Time" depicts this exact feeling. With as many poems as Mr. Ponder wrote, it was disappointing not to see more of them offered here, but sometimes that can't be helped.

"View from the Middle of the Road IV: Pathway to Dreams" was quite diverse and thought-provoking to say the least. I enjoyed most of the offerings of three out of the four poets and I will leave you to wonder which one it was that I didn't enjoy. With only 65-pages in its entirety, it will make for a very fast read if you are on a bus or plane. I enjoyed it and gave it a B as to grade point. This is because, when you put together an anthology, you can never please all of the people with allof the authors' works. We are all different, and as such, our tastes vary.

Review by Irene Wilson, Reader Views

Male poetry is vivid, challenging, introspective, and life-affirming. In the latest "View from the Middle of the Road" anthology, publisher Lucinda Clark decided it was time to give men a voice, and their poetry reflects how much they have to say.

Martinez, GA   Four diverse male poets lend their voices to a dynamic new poetry anthology, the fourth in a series of cutting-edge collections. Experience, learn, smile, and heal through the pages of P.R.A. Publishing's "View from the Middle of the Road, Vol. IV: Pathway to Dreams" (ISBN 9780982140703), P.R.A. Publishing, 2009).

"View from the Middle of the Road, Vol. IV: Pathway to Dreams" is the latest offering in P.R.A. Publishing's series of poetry anthologies. This newest volume allows a diverse group of men to share their work and perspectives on similar and wide-ranging topics. Lucinda Clark, owner of P.R.A. Publishing, explained in a recent interview with Reader Views, "These gentlemen will touch lives because they shared their words in a place that can only increase the diversity of their audience."

The poets and their works are all the richer by being included in this diverse offering. Xavier Clark is a new poet, publishing one of his first poems in this collection. Daniel Harris deals with love, life, and history. Pete Klimek write about love, loss, and social issues, and Clifford Ponder explores life and social ills, and pays tribute to the unsung heroines of the present. The poets' backgrounds, culture, ages, religious affiliations, and personal experiences influence their writing, yet many of their themes are universal. As Xavier Clark said recently in an interview, "Well, what is there besides life and love? They are honestly the only things worth talking about."

The poems have diverse subjects as evidenced by their titles, including Harris' "Baseball," Klimek's "Social Revolutionaries," Clark's "Follow," and Ponder's, "Buying a Piece of Time." Harris' poetry is often family-oriented, while Klimek draws substantially upon his musical background and his South African home. Ponder, author of over one thousand poems, here uses his work as a template through which to view the effects of time.

This all-male anthology provides thought and pleasure for readers of all tastes and genders. In her introduction, Lucinda Clark states that she wanted to show the sensitive side of men. The collection highlights that sensitive side, but it also reveals how men accept, overcome, and process their experiences, eventually creating meaning from them, meaning deftly, subtly, and intricately weaved into poetry that delights and inspires, makes the heart sing, and the mind reflect. From the middle of the road, these poets provide a fascinating view.