“Douglas…thank you for sharing your Cross Country poems with me. I got the book in the mail and look forward to savoring the words. I recall reading a few in the past, in particular “Hush Puppy.” Congrats on getting these out into the world. Hope to finish my novel shortly and doing a return visit with you in Stockton. Warmly, Angie Chau”
(Angie Chau is the award-winning author of the short story collection, Quiet as They Come. She lives and writes in San Francisco.)
“Hi Doug! I was cleaning out my gmail tonight and came upon an email to your Pacific address I never sent. Oops! It was about your lovely poems. They were waiting for me when I got back to New York after going away last summer, and I really enjoyed them. Shades of Robert Hass meets the Blue Ridge Mountains. With a trace of Hwy 99, plus—your favorite—Wallace Stevens, to boot. Thank you so much for sending them. …Anyway, I hate to use Facebook as a medium for messages but just wanted to make sure I sent these wishes before they slipped through the cracks again. Best, Suzanne”
(Suzanne Rindell is the acclaimed author of The Other Typist, a novel published in 2013 with Penquin Books, Ltd.)