About the Book: 

Carol Allis' debut collection wholeheartedly invites everyone into the house of poetry. "Is there poetry for ordinary people?" begins the book. "You know -- waitresses and nurses / People who clean floors and fix roads / And string cable and make sandwiches / And sing good-night songs ... / Who don't have time to ponder navels and dissect complex phrases / Or analyze a line to death / People who think in poetry every day / Catching lines on the fly / That kind of poetry / Poems for and about ordinary people." Employing keen awareness and empathy, Carol Allis paints a vibrant social history with words. 

About the author:
 

Carol Allis has been writing poetry since her father gave her a manual Underwood typewriter when she was 7. Born and raised in Rochester, Minnesota, she graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield with a degree in English education, and has spent most of her working life in public service as a professional writer. For years, she wrote news for a living (paring down governmentalize into words ordinary people could understand), raised precious sons, and wrote poetry when she could. 

Allis is now retired and devoting more time to poetry. She is a proud mom and grandma, married to beloved retired professor and historian Peter, and lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with two cranky cats, close to beloved family. She wants to help bring back the loving link ordinary people used to have with their poets. Her first book -- Poems for Ordinary People -- was published in 2012 by North Star Press. She has a website -- www.poemsforordinarypeople.com -- and Twitters under MinnetonkaPoet.