Dates and Dreams
Judge, 24th Annual Writer’s Digest
Self-Published Book Awards
E.M. Schorb’s Dates and Dreams houses two collections of previously published prose poems, Last Exit to East Hampton and Manhattan Spleen, as well as other published works collected for this volume. In addition to these prose poems and short prose fiction pieces such as “The Fable,” Schorb has sprinkled his witty cartoons throughout, thirteen in all. With other books of poetry I’ve read, I cannot seem to turn off my inner grammarian when I notice typos, punctuation problems, and poor wording. In this body of work, I was relieved of this quibbler and allowed to travel along in the worlds he created, odd though some of them were. I came away feeling that Schorb is a pro, in every sense. While some of the prose poems required a reread to make sure I think what I think, his writing and wit and keenness of insight enriched me even more on my second and third reads. His prose poetry is often satirical, smart, and fresh-voiced; his short fiction is energetic, humorous, and enjoyable. His imagination stirs elements of the real and the fanciful into a believable whole. Reading him was for me a great pleasure, for I felt I was reading prose poetry the way it was meant to be.