Despite The Falling Earth

THESE inspiring poems accompanied with drawings touch on a wide spectrum of life, offering fresh depth and dimension, as well as newer planets of meaning to the dynamics of changing existence. The poems, sharp and at times brutally to the point, also engage a sensitive contemplation of emotion, a concern as much of the spirit as of the intellect in the arena of human aspiration and endeavor, seasoned with moral ambiguities and conflicts, existential layers of crises, but also with arcs of actions that bend toward shores of reawakening, avowing peace, love, and human brotherhood.

"This well-timed and enlightening volume of poetry with drawings is at this juncture of distinct interest. Rizaj's new poems and artwork are exceedingly intimate, and she possesses the far from common gift of placing current events before us in clear consolation and harmonious order. Her depictions, so rich in color, so lively in encounter, so beautiful in proportions, so flexible in form, can convert even the solid and shapeless stone into the pictorial presentation of life." -Hana Noka, author of Besa Po

"Like songs of the heart, a subtle weave of lyrical words, in this exquisitely written poetry collection, Teuta S. Rizaj speaks to us in the profoundest manner; it evokes senses that cry out to be one with the Soul, and triggers a conversation - a friend to a friend, of love and hope in a desperate and saddened world." -Ra'ana Dilruba Yasmin, author of the forthcoming two-volume memoir Petrichor: The Scent of My Motherland

"Rich in memorable lines and filled with timeless wisdom, Rizaj's poetry collection is one that lovers of finely crafted verse and the spiritually inclined will find themselves returning to time and again for meaning, inspiration, encouragement, or comfort. -Martha Char Love, author of Mom's Island Bakens