No Batteries Required by Ellen Dooling Reynard: Living Life’s Non Moments
Yellow Arrow Publishing announces the release of a new chapbook, No Batteries Required, by Ellen Dooling Reynard. Since its establishment in 2016, Yellow Arrow has devoted its efforts to advocate for all women writers through inclusion in the biannual Yellow Arrow Journal as well as single-author publications, and by providing strong author support, workshops, and volunteer opportunities. We at Yellow Arrow are excited to continue our mission by supporting Ellen in all her writing and publishing endeavors.
The 28 poems included in No Batteries Required float through several themes and are divided into four sections: moments and non moments, Life’s Journey Home, Other Creatures, and Seasoned with Humor. As a whole, No Batteries Required examines the world around Ellen from the perspective of her inner world. She considers what she calls ‘moments and non moments’—those brief stops along the way to look at something as simple as a flower or to witness something as complex as the death of a loved one.
As a senior, Ellen looks back on her life, its joys and sorrows, its loves and losses, while she navigates the unknown currents of old age and ponders about the journeys of life, death, and what lies beyond. Observing the natural world, she recognizes what is to be learned about the human condition from animals, insects, and plants. In the final title poem, Ellen muses about the craft of writing with a pencil, which she describes as a simple computational device with one end for ‘enter,’ the other end for ‘delete.’
Ellen spent her childhood on a cattle ranch in Jackson, Montana. Raised on myths and fairy tales, the sense of wonder has never left her. A one-time editor of Parabola Magazine, her poetry has been published by Lighten Up On Line, Current Magazine, Persimmon, Silver Blade, and The Muddy River Poetry Review. She is now retired and has relocated to Clarksville, Maryland, where she will continue to write fiction and poetry. She is currently working on a series of ekphrastic poems based on the work of her late husband, Paul Reynard (1927–2005).
Paperback and PDF versions of No Batteries Required are now available from the Yellow Arrow bookstore! If interested in purchasing more than one paperback copy for friends and family, check out our discounted wholesale prices here. You can also search for No Batteries Required wherever you purchase your books including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and smaller bookstores. Connect with Yellow Arrow Publishing on Facebook and Instagram, and Ellen on Facebook, to share some love for this chapbook. To learn more about Ellen and No Batteries Required, check out our recent interview with her. And as part of our April Poetry Series, join us for a book launch of No Batteries Required on April 30 at 6 p.m. More information about the reading, as well as the Zoom link, can be found on our Events Calendar.
***
Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women writers through publication and access to the literary arts. To learn about publishing, volunteering, or donating, visit yellowarrowpublishing.com. If interested in writing a review of No Batteries Required or any of our other publications, please email editor@yellowarrowpublishing.com for more information.