by Victoria Garton (Author)

When she packed for six weeks in Eastern Europe on a Fulbright-Hays Grant, Victoria Garton hoped to bring openness and wonder to the adventure. She also packed for the hills and valleys of an introvert's terrain. Details in this chapbook of poems show life in Hungary and Poland less than a decade after the fall of the U.S.S.R. We see the crumbling facades, the graffiti-covered walls, but also the cottages sprouted like mushrooms after rain. The delight of seeing a Madonna wearing Tangerine Tango lipstick, the shock of a robbery, stirred cold war memories, and home-sickness that comes on viewing wind-swirled wheat are all part of this deeply observed journey.