Brooklyn Diner and Other Places - Softcover

Utica has died, strangled by its own rust. Mr. Glenn’s book makes me want to find the diner, sit at the booth at the back, order coffee and wait for his characters to come through the door. These characters, their dreams and desperation, populate every diner in every town in America. After reading their poems you'll recognize them and see them with the humanity, clarity and compassion of the author. Like Studs Terkel, Mr. Glenn has captured the closeness and density of what is essentially human nature. Lost souls, heartbreak, and triumph fill small spaces, diners and the pages of this book.
Philip Theibert, author
Brooklyn poet Mel Glenn offers extraordinary glimpses into the hidden lives of ordinary people. He writes with power and grace about unfulfilled dreams, longed-for hopes, love, disappointments, prayers, and conversations that he's overheard while sitting in crowded diners. Each poem in this collection is a gem, immersing readers in the interior lives of others while reminding us of the hidden life inside us all.
Bruce Black, Editorial Founder and Publisher of The Jewish Writing Project
Mel Glenn provides readers of this magnificent book of poems with a poignant view of colorful personalities with life stories to match. The reader is provided with poems highlighting a unique glimpse into a snapshot moment of modern archetypal personalities Mel Glenn shares with us, a series of compelling stories, always with a satisfying denouement. Each poem is a universe in itself, drawing the reader in, providing a perfect sliver of time with the worldview of a familiar personality which consistently leaves the reader wanting more.
Robert Friedman, author and President of Stress.Solutions, Inc.
Mel Glenn is a true observer of life. His poems reflect his connection with the world around him in a compassionate, clever, and often witty way. It draws us in to help us examine our own life encounters, to observe how we feel and how we relate to each other. He speaks of real people and that makes his poems delightfully accessible and valuable.
Ferida Wolff, author