Customer Reviews:

• "Everything I know about haiku I learned from CarrieAnn Thunell or the website of her publisher, Shadow Poetry. Ms. Thunell has a strong background in poetry. She is editor of The Nisqually Delta Review, author of two chapbooks, and member of several poetry associations. Her poetry has been featured in over fifty print literary journals. In addition to being a poet, CAT is also an accomplished artist. She created the striking full-color cover of this chapbook and the pen and ink drawings inside. Shadow Poetry chapbooks are always exceptional and well-presented and Blue- Gray Currents is beautiful in every way.

The 209 haiku in this chapbook are divided into four headings: The Parks; The Mountains; The Beaches; and The Valleys. I have chosen random haiku from each section as examples of Ms. Thunell's work. Each haiku was written by the poet during or shortly after hiking areas of the Olympic Peninsula. Her love of nature is clear, and to emphasize her dedication, all proceeds from this chapbook will be donated to the Olympic Park Associates organization.

In "The Parks", the protected pristine wilderness energizes and inspires:
      one loon wings up
      beyond the leaf-lined bridge
      my soul in tow

Nature transforms sights and sounds as morning dawns:
      weathered dock—
      the sound
      of one boat lapping

And around the hiker, everywhere, the natural world prevails:
      the sharp cry
      of a bald eagle—
      alder leaves drift down

Introducing "The Mountains" is a stunning pen and ink drawing encircling the introductory haiku:
      mountain meadow—
      the waterfall
      filled with birdsong

Hiking in the pure night air provides sights that feed the poet's senses:
      harvest moon
      over the mountain—
      the first stars

And sunrise is a gift enjoyed first by the poet, then by her readers:
      fuschia sunrise
      atop Appleton Pass—
      gold-tipped antlers

"The Beaches" reminds me that I've never seen the ocean, but can visit through the poet's eyes:
      mist and herons
      rise in flapping waves—
      the fog-drenched shoreline

I can walk the rocky beaches of the Pacific Northwest, a place of many wonders:
      the rocky beach—
      sea lettuce
      splashed with sunset

And I can see the same miraculous visions humans saw on this peninsula eons ago:
      lone heron
      pauses on a sea stack—
      the twilight moon

"The Valleys" are no less glorious than the mountains and beaches:
      woodpeckers tap
      one tree to another—
      tones of spring dawn

Moonlight and shadow create pleasing scenarios and sounds. Our hectic modern world fades for awhile:
      moonrise
      over the marshlands—
      the hissing geese

Whatever the season, nature and her beauties prevail:
      snowdrifts—
      a new bud
      slices through winter

Poetry of any kind is personal, personal to both poet and reader. Haiku focuses our thoughts, simplifies our personal vision of the world. I'm no haiku expert but do understand the primal beauty of the simple lines inside this book. Ms. Thunell transported me beyond technology and man-made hubbub to a place of Nature's serenity and joy. This calming, comforting book would make the ideal gift and is highly recommended. And as a reminder, all proceeds from this chapbook go to preserve the natural beauty Ms. Thunell described so well in haiku form." - Laurel Johnson, Midwest Book Review

• "CarrieAnn Thunell (CAT) is a peace-loving soul whose love of nature has undoubtedly inspired her to write the numerous haiku and sketch the illustrations found in he newest chapbook, Blue-gray Currents: A Haijin Hikes In And Around The Olympic Peninsula. The subtitle is most appropriate because the haiku pertain specifically to events and to scenery of this beautiful area of Washington State. The book is divided interestingly into four sections: The Parks, The Mountains, The Beaches and The Valleys. Here are a few samples of my favorite image-invoking haiku from CAT:

moonlit gravestones
a fir branch drops snow
on the silence

bleached sand dollars
spot the dark sand-
the star-spattered sky

Other haiku are playful and some reveal CAT's fondness for her husband as in this one:

my spouse frolics
in sunlit waves-
boyhood in his eyes

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this newest chapbook by CarrieAnn Thunell. It is among the best of Shadow Poetry's publications." - Andrea Dietrich, Author of Dreaming the Unicorn and poetry editor of the SP Quill Magazine.