Description
Book overview
This book is about celebrating life through adversities. You will find poems that speak life while viewing love as a catalyst. Things that are tangible and real still holds preference for many hearts. A simple genuine smile is sometimes all people need to keep going. One may endure much to finally embrace realness and peace. Conquering life and its many challenges may very well start with ourselves. The purpose of this book is to shine a light on hope. Always striving, achieving, and growing, is a good recipe to live by. As we continue to live together, let us love together, build together, endure together, and maybe smile together.

EDITORS REVIEW
“In your poem “Dire Prayer” immediately took me back to my childhood growing up in the South and in the church. I felt as if the Pastor himself was talking to me and giving me the tools I needed to continue to live a Christian life. And again in your poem “Breakthrough” really spoke to my heavy Christian upbringing as well as “Dire Prayer” except this one spoke to me more in terms of overcoming a struggle, opening up to new things, and overcoming adversity. What was the inspiration for this poem? Then in “You’re Not Alone” the same thing, these really spoke to my Christian background and whenever I go through something in my own personal life I know I’ll always have someone to turn to when I’m in need of some grace. This manuscript certainly has a different overall tone than before. I feel more emotion, love, care, and religious themes throughout it. A strong sense of family and learning how to cope with the ups and downs of life is really refreshing in this book and in your writing, you gave great literary examples in your poetry”.
“Overall your work is fantastic and I can tell your growth as a writer has truly blossomed, giving this book its own form of life”.
Robert Lee Wilson III. Freelance editor and author of ” IF POETRY WERE SHORT STORIES”

About The Author
Eric Bruce Smith was born and raised in Oakland, Ca. Eric is from an area on the eastside known as Brookfield Village. Although it is depicted as a pretty tough neighborhood, it’s never short on producing very talented individuals. Eric is a poet, writer and enjoys playing several instruments. He has poetry work published in the Oakland Public Library found under Images and Voices of the Gold Rush edited by Joyce E Young. This is a collaborative work made possible by The Writers on Site Program of Poets & Writers, Inc. 1998. Eric has noteworthy poetry work in a book titled “Reflections of The Soul.” A collective work of poetry published by The Poetry Guild, Ohio, 1997. The poem is titled “In My Pocket There’s A Mirror” He has participated in poetry readings at Expressions Gallery in Berkeley, Ca, made possible by The Bay Area Writing Project. His first poetry book titled ” The Hidden Peace In Poems” was released in 2021. He’s a proud father of three beautiful children and one grandson. Eric is excited about sharing this body of work, and very pleased with his poetic contribution to literature.