At Summer's Wistful End

"Half alchemist, half hypnotist, K. A. Opperman distills the quintessence of Halloween into rhythmic rhyming incantations; read them aloud to taste the candy corn, scent the cinnamon and cloves, and glimpse the eerie orange flame dancing in the jack-o'-lantern's gap-toothed grin. Samhain, Hop-tu-Naa, Ealra H¡lgena Ǽfen...call it what you will: this book will make you yearn for the childlike euphoria that only happens on All Hallows' Eve." -Adam Bolivar, Author of Ballads for the Witching Hour

"K. A. Opperman acts as consummate seer to the witching season... each verse gleams like a mournful ember at the heart of a dying Samhain bonfire... This is poetry by one who has tread the Jack-o'-Lantern Path devoutly, ruminations and revelations from the heart of a dark reverence. Recommended for all souls who feel the draw of autumnal nights, who shiver in expectation as well as fear at the nearness of veil's parting." - Scott J. Couturier, author of I Awaken In October: Poems of Folk Horror and Halloween and The Box

"Like one of his beloved jack-o'-lanterns, K. A. Opperman has carved a niche for himself as the doyen of Halloween-themed poetry... he gathers the remaining poems in his bag of treats to offer up a final tribute to his favorite holiday. Opperman's love for everything from the changing colors of foliage to picking apples and the growing of pumpkins is represented. I have high hopes that this series will help spark a tradition of Halloween poetry to rival the abundance of carols, stories and poems for the Christmastide." -Manuel Arenas, author of Book of Shadows and The Burning Ember Mission of Helldorado

"...[K. A. Opperman] is the gifted descendant of poets ranging from Poe to Walter Scott to Robert Burns, all of whom understood that Halloween's deliciously dark mood may be best served by poetry." -Lisa Morton, author of Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween

"K. A. Opperman's poems evoke both the dark chill of late October and the warmth of a cottage fireside. He captures a time outside of time, an otherworld populated by Pumpkin Kings and haunted souls who wander the edges of our consciousness begging to come inside."-Lesley Pratt Bannatyne, author of Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History