Brian Walters is a rare poet --tuned to history as few have been for a generation or more. He is alert for those critical moments that reveal a place, time and a human heart with energy and clarity, and gives them to us. Bitter, terrible, sweet, whatever they are, for they are our heritage and what has formed us over the centuries. Human bravery, savagery, thoughtfulness, and passion all find a place in his work. There is even room for hope and love in spite of everything. --Howard McCord

Brian Walters is a rare poet-tuned to history as few have been for a generation or more. He is alert for those critical moments that reveal a place, time and a human heart with energy and clarity, and gives them to us. Bitter, terrible, sweet, whatever they are, for they are our heritage and what has formed us over the centuries. Human bravery, savagery, thoughtfulness, and passion all find a place in his work. There is even room for hope and love in spite of everything. -Howard McCord

This is Brian Walters third collection of poetry. As with his previous collections, Watie's Surrender and Other Civil War Narratives has something for everyone. Walters ranges effortlessly from brutal epic narrative poetry to gentle whimsical verse. His narrative poetry is as easy to read as the finest prose, pulling you in so completely that you often forget that you are reading poetry and not a novel. His verse celebrates life and all that comes along with it. Sometimes touching, sometimes stirring, always engaging, Walters' poetry will remain with you long after you close the pages of the...

The Art of Life Is the Avoiding of Pain is Brian Walters' fourth collection of stories and poetry. As with all of Walters' poetry you'll find this book accessible and moving, but this is without a doubt his most powerful book to date. As a physical therapist Walters is welcomed into the homes of a vast cross-section of society, and he opens a window on the quiet desperation that so many of our neighbors live with every day. This collection is both beautiful and, at times, profoundly sad. Brian Walters is a rare poet-tuned to history as few have been for a generation or more. He is alert for...

Winter of 1945. Aksel Foss, a Dane forced at gunpoint to fight in the German Army, flees Soviet tanks across the snow-bound fields of East Prussia. His goal-return to Denmark, and escape both the Russians and the dreaded SS who seek him for killing concentration camp guards. Retreating through burning towns and cities, he engages in near-daily combat as he tries to save himself and his lover, a beautiful refugee woman who has lost her entire family in the war.