Real Poems for Real Moms:
From a Mother in the Trenches to Another

What do you get when an English major spends more than a decade changing diapers? A series of diaper haiku, an ode to a thermos, and a Poesque tale about hiding from kids in the bathroom. In the midst of the dailiness of motherhood, Rachel S. Donahue turns her love of words into a playful expression of the seemingly mundane life of a stay-at-home mom. These thoughtful lines weave honesty and hope together with a touch of humor to encourage other moms who feel stuck in the trenches: you are not alone.

Beyond Chittering Cottage: Poems of Place

Did you know that an orb weaver spider “eats” her web? Or that Smilax thorns come from a series of tumorous rhizomes connected underground? Rachel S. Donahue didn’t either, until she started paying attention. After living the nomadic life of an overseas worker, Rachel found herself settled on one plot of land for more than five years with ample time for observation.

These poems reveal what she’s seen beyond the spiders, birds, and vines—the deeper struggles and shimmering mystery of life on this corner of the earth.

Editorial Reviews:

“The best poetry helps us see and hear that which we might otherwise take for granted or fail to notice. Rachel Donahue’s poetry helps us appreciate ordinary, domestic life for what it is: magical, meaningful, and anything but mundane. These lyrics are deceptively simple. This means they are welcoming as open doors, but they are not simplistic. They are more like a house with many rooms and this collection is worth the slow wandering of reading and re-reading. Rachel writes the glory of her ordinary life so that we can better see our own.”

–Christie Purifoy, author of Roots and Sky and Placemaker

“Rachel S. Donahue’s verse is uniquely keen-eyed, at once incisive and warm. Her subjects (everything from orb weavers to hummingbirds to silver buckles) are imbued with personality and humor. She urges us to see the wonder and beauty of the spaces and people close to us, even and especially in the face of their brokenness—to love them, and to love them well. Every line aches with the longing for wholeness and Home. Every line rings as an urgent call to creative cultivation of ‘this garden we share.’ And every line breathes out light and hope. If any of that sounds like something you need in your life, you’ll love this book.”

–Chris Wheeler, poet, author of SOLACE: poems for the broken season

The Lost Tales of Sir Galahad

For centuries, scholars have debated the nature of the adventures of Sir Galahad whilst he was lost in the Wild Forest of legend before he took up his quest for the Grail. It was thought that no record of his deeds therein had survived. But the scholars were wrong.

Newly discovered tales of the errant knight and his further adventures have been brought to light at last. And behold but a smattering of their wondrous treasures: dragons, trolls, magic, mystery, heroic deeds, faithful companions, and doubtful choices that nearly lead to all manner of ruin.

Rabbit Room Press is proud to present these historical documents to the world for the first time. With contributions from visiting scholars, these tales have been scrupulously compiled and annotated by leading experts of dubious renown and are presented here with 100% historically accurate depictions by Ned Bustard.