- Kristiana Reed, editor-in-chief, Free Verse Revolution

Stephen C. Pollock's poetry collection Exits explores the beauty and frailty of life, the theme of mortality, and the potential for renewal. It also responds to contemporary anxieties surrounding death and the universal search for meaning. Multilayered and musical, the poems in Exits have drawn comparisons to the poetry of Seamus Heaney and the sonnets of William Shakespeare. The collection features a potpourri of styles, ranging from traditional forms to free verse to hybrid works. Nine of the poems have appeared in literary journals, and ten have been recognized in literary competitions. Exits has been honored with the Gold Medal for poetry in the 2023 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards and the Silver Medal for poetry in the 2024 Feathered Quill Book Awards. Echoing these accolades, Midwest Book Review declares: "Exits is a book that has profoundly impacted the literary world."

"Exits . . . is a magnificent work"

- Readers' Favorite Reviews, 5.0 stars

"Exits exemplifies the musicality of language"

- Foreword-Clarion Reviews

"Full of wit, insight and provocative imagery, Exits is a masterful collection"

- IndieReader, 5.0 stars

"Exits is a book that has profoundly impacted the literary world"

- Midwest Book Review

The poems in Exits comprise a meditation on mortality. Many of the images and metaphors are drawn from nature. In addition, each poem is paired with a piece of artwork intended to resonate with the writing and enhance the reader's experience.

Every life is finite. Awareness of death's inevitability profoundly affects each person's perspective on their life and its meaning. In a world ravaged by contagion, climate change, famine, and war, Exits dovetails with the prevailing zeitgeist.