The Beast Inside (Southern Arizona Press
Two international reviews. . .
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R256ICA2LRXQVF?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp
https://davidgreenbooks.blogspot.com/2025/04/bill-cushing-beast-inside.html
Heroic Brothers of the Civil War(Southern Arizona Press)
Review on page 7 of this online publication:
https://glomaglib.blogspot.com/2024/08/glomag-july-2024.html
Just a Little Cage of Bone (Southern Arizona Press)
https://medium.com/@proflambert23/by-daniel-lambert-86025162e92f
https://www.crescentavalleyweekly.com/?s=cushing
. . .this just in. . . (Cyberwit, 2021)
https://culturaldaily.com/review-this-just-in-bill-cushing/
http://davidgreenbooks.blogspot.com/2021/06/bill-cushing-this-just-in.html
MUSIC SPEAKS (Lulu, 2020)
https://thepoetrycafe.online/2022/02/27/music-speaks/
Review of Bill Cushing’s Music Speaks
Vatsala Radhakeesoon (Mauritian author/poet, translator and artist)
Bill Cushing’s poetry chapbook, Music Speaks is a lovely tribute to the multi-faceted aspects of music and musicians who have played crucial parts in his life.
Like most artistic people Cushing’s sensitivity and astuteness to the daily ongoing activities are remarkable:
In the poem ON MODEST MUSSOURGSKY’S “BYDLO,” music resonates in the sounds of ‘cartload of hay’, ‘wagon’, ‘oxen drawn’, ‘juggernaut pulled’, ‘crushing stones’, ‘grinding dirt’, ‘rhythmic hammering’ and ‘dull thunder.’ Thus the poet succeeds in demonstrating that music surrounds human life. We breathe music.
BLAKESONG, a poem dedicated to Eubie Blake equates his music to that played by the Gods of music. This highlights the mastery of Blake in his field.
In the poem written for Miles Davies, music is referred to as ‘igniting everything everywhere’.
ODE TO NINA SIMONE projects music as a means of fighting against injustice, and compelling listeners to go through introspection. Thus, the power of this refined art over humankind is revealed as one that can undoubtedly stir the sub conscience.
JAZZ’S SALVATION is one the most interesting poems in this book as it brings a mathematical comparison between pop music and jazz. Pop music is ‘geometric’ whereas jazz is described as ‘…being algebraic
balancing opposite sides in
an equation’
Philosophically, jazz can be considered as bringing an equilibrium of body and soul, leading human beings to rise beyond the physical mundane plane categorized by pop music. Jazz is the path to inner peace.
In the poem SINGING WITH BOTH HANDS, Bill Cushing emphasizes on the artistic intelligence of pianists:
‘with eighty- eight steps to choose
how do the pianists’ hands
decide which to use?’
This obviously reveals the admirable talents of pianists seeking perfection and their constant focusing power.
The poems THE REDBONE PANTOUM and SO LONG DR JOHN dedicated to the singers Leon Redbone and Dr John (Mac Rebennac) respectively reflect the nostalgia expressed by Cushing as being one of their fans. As a fan, the poet also assures that those singers and their songs will remain immortal. By doing so, the poet becomes the voice of all the fans of those singers.
Music Speaks by Bill Cushing is undoubtedly one of the deepest poetry books about music and it will probably be among the list of classics in future centuries. This beautifully written creation will certainly keep on mesmerizing all poetry-lovers and music- lovers alike in all generations.
A FORMER LIFE (Finishing Line Press, 2019)
https://berryherwithpoems.wordpress.com/2019/07/22/a-former-life/
http://davidgreenbooks.blogspot.com/2019/08/bill-cushing-former-life.html
https://www.amazon.com/Former-Life-Bill-Cushing/product-reviews/1635349389?reviewerType=all_reviews
NOTES AND LETTERS (Lulu, 2017. . .in collaboration with Chuck Corbisiero)
https://vocal.media/poets/poetry-in-pianissimo