Hope and Life Press is pleased to announce the release of the book Living Within - Smiles of Hope, an anthology of 180 poems on life, disappointment, love, and happiness, written in the American country/folk tradition by the award-winning German poet, writer, and satirist Micah Le Lann. Ranging from short poems like Soul Survivor and Therapist of the Mind,through both long and sequeled poems like Taking Time and The Queen of Superficiality and the Knight in Worn-Out Jeans, Le Lann's work masterfully depicts love in all its shades - from the joy that it induces, to the moments of black despair when things goes wrong. Creative and refreshing, these poems straddle the divide between song lyric and lyrical poetry, with an original voice, rhythms, and idiomatic phrasing. Living Within is available in paperback and ebook editions from Amazon globally, major booksellers, and directly from ourselves at Hope and Life Press.
- Micah Le Lann's work is impossible to put down once you start . . . it is the rock music among poetry. Reading his poems is like being carried gently away by an easy-flowing brook, smiling at every recognizable situation and feeling along the way. This is not l'art pour l'art, but art made by a man with a heart - Samantha Spijkers
- Clearly inspired by American songwriting, what connects the poems/lyrics is the sense of a soul trying to make the best of both love and life, learning oftentimes harsh lessons along the way, but never giving up wholly, or resorting to bitterness and criticism. These pieces straddle the forms of song lyric and lyrical poetry. I greatly recommend this collection to all - Jurgen Olschewski
- Hope and love are the predominant themes of this literary feast. Le Lann's writing is shrewd, lyrical, and concise. His words march down the pages and take a right turn into a world filled with beauty and grace. A must read for poetry lovers - Tosha Michelle
- Over 200 pages of beautifully intended lyrical finesse. Micah Le Lann magnificently captivates his readers and takes them on a journey of sentiments . . . Micah uses raw emotions to draw his readers into his intimate soul and life situations. You cannot help but to either jump for joy, shed tears, relate with the words, feel the love, or hope for a happy ending in this exceptional book. The meter, expressions, and metaphors are all works of art - Hadel S. Ma'ayeh
