A Net Full of Hope

This collection of poetry reveals why her readers dub Annette Hope Billings “Maya of the Midwest.” Annette Hope Billings writes with clear eyes, original images, evocative rhythms, and unfolding daring in her book A Net Full of Hope. Starting with a tribute to her muse (and many of ours), Maya Angelou, she then calls on readers to awaken so that we can join her on this journey into the heart of poetry, pausing along the way to honor those who went before her, and always speaking to the generations to come. From the freshness of grief to the tincture of kindness, this collection speaks to the depth of hope and range of love.- Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, 2009-13 Kansas Poet Laureate.Annette Hope Billings is a poet’s poet. Her writing pays tribute to those women before her, while inspiring those who have yet to write. She helps guide anyone who looks for hope to the page, that “trail of healing,” with her words of comfort in the midst of a world of struggle and grief. Just like in her poem “Note to Self”: “You are either going to do this love thing / or you’re not,” my hope is for everyone to pick up this collection for her full revelation of love and human connection. She has me dreaming of a shared path, of those “flowers of grace / and forests of mercy” inside us all. --Dennis Etzel Jr., The Sum of Two MothersWhat a wonderful discovery! Here is so much wisdom and courage; so much love, compassion and honesty. Annette has wrapped it all in an eye-twinkle of orneriness.Max Yoho, poet and novelist