{"id":1153,"date":"2024-02-26T22:05:53","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T04:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rainmountainpress.com\/wordpress\/?post_type=product&#038;p=1153"},"modified":"2025-09-05T12:15:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T17:15:39","slug":"in-the-middle-of-things-begin","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/rainmountainpress.com\/wordpress\/product\/in-the-middle-of-things-begin","title":{"rendered":"In the Middle of Things, Begin"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>by\u00a0Eileen Brilliant<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<style>\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t#tab_container_1151 {\r\n\toverflow:hidden;\r\n\tdisplay:block;\r\n\twidth:100%;\r\n\tborder:0px solid #ddd;\r\n\tmargin-bottom:30px;\r\n\t}\r\n\r\n#tab_container_1151 .tab-content{\r\n\tpadding:20px;\r\n\tborder: 1px solid #e6e2cc !important;\r\n\tmargin-top: 0px;\r\n\tbackground-color:#fffbe5 !important;\r\n\tcolor: #000000 !important;\r\n\tfont-size:16px !important;\r\n\tfont-family: Open Sans !important;\r\n\t\r\n\t\tborder: 1px solid #e6e2cc !important;\r\n\t}\r\n#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs {\r\n    border-bottom: 0px solid #ddd;\r\n}\r\n#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li.active > a, #tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li.active > a:hover, #tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li.active > a:focus {\r\n\tcolor: #000000 !important;\r\n\tcursor: default;\r\n\tbackground-color: #fffbe5 !important;\r\n\tborder: 1px solid #e6e2cc !important;\r\n}\r\n\r\n#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li > a {\r\n    margin-right: 0px !important; \r\n    line-height: 1.42857143 !important;\r\n    border: 1px solid #ece8d2 !important;\r\n    border-radius: 0px 0px 0 0 !important; \r\n\tbackground-color: #fffbe5 !important;\r\n\tcolor: #000000 !important;\r\n\tpadding: 15px 18px 15px 18px !important;\r\n\ttext-decoration: none !important;\r\n\tfont-size: 14px !important;\r\n\ttext-align:center !important;\r\n\tfont-family: Open Sans !important;\r\n}\r\n#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li > a:focus {\r\noutline: 0px !important;\r\n}\r\n\r\n#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li > a:before {\r\n\tdisplay:none !important;\r\n}\r\n#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li > a:after {\r\n\tdisplay:none !important ;\r\n}\r\n#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li{\r\npadding:0px !important ;\r\nmargin:0px;\r\n}\r\n\r\n#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li > a:hover , #tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li > a:focus {\r\n    color: #000000 !important;\r\n    background-color: #fffbe5 !important;\r\n\tborder: 1px solid #ece8d2 !important;\r\n\t\r\n}\r\n#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li > a .fa{\r\n\r\nmargin-right:5px !important;\r\n\r\nmargin-left:5px !important;\r\n\r\n\r\n}\r\n\r\n\t\t#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs a{\r\n\t\t\tbackground-image: none;\r\n\t\t\tbackground-position: 0 0;\r\n\t\t\tbackground-repeat: repeat-x;\r\n\t\t}\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\r\n\r\n#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li {\r\n    float: left;\r\n    margin-bottom: -1px !important;\r\n\tmargin-right:0px !important; \r\n}\r\n\r\n\r\n#tab_container_1151 .tab-content{\r\noverflow:hidden !important;\r\n}\r\n\r\n\r\n@media (min-width: 769px) {\r\n\r\n\t#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li{\r\n\t\tfloat:left !important ;\r\n\t\t\t\tmargin-right:-1px !important;\r\n\t\t\t\t\t}\r\n\t#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs{\r\n\t\tfloat:none !important;\r\n\t\tmargin:0px !important;\r\n\t}\r\n\r\n\t#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li {\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t}\r\n\t#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav{\r\n\t\t\t}\r\n\r\n}\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n@media (max-width: 768px) {\r\n\t#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li {\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t}\r\n\t#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav{\r\n\t\t\t}\r\n}\r\n\r\n\r\n\t.wpsm_nav-tabs li:before{\r\n\t\tdisplay:none !important;\r\n\t}\r\n\r\n\t@media (max-width: 768px) {\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t.wpsm_nav-tabs{\r\n\t\t\tmargin-left:0px !important;\r\n\t\t\tmargin-right:0px !important; \r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t}\r\n\t\t\t\t#tab_container_1151 .wpsm_nav-tabs > li{\r\n\t\t\tfloat:none !important;\r\n\t\t}\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t}\t\t\t\t<\/style>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"tab_container_1151\" >\r\n\t \r\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wpsm_nav wpsm_nav-tabs\" role=\"tablist\" id=\"myTab_1151\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li role=\"presentation\"  class=\"active\"  onclick=\"do_resize()\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#tabs_desc_1151_1\" aria-controls=\"tabs_desc_1151_1\" role=\"tab\" data-toggle=\"tab\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Overview<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li role=\"presentation\"  onclick=\"do_resize()\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#tabs_desc_1151_2\" aria-controls=\"tabs_desc_1151_2\" role=\"tab\" data-toggle=\"tab\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Excerpt<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/ul>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t  <!-- Tab panes -->\r\n\t\t\t\t\t  <div class=\"tab-content\" id=\"tab-content_1151\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div role=\"tabpanel\" class=\"tab-pane  in active \" id=\"tabs_desc_1151_1\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">\"What a pleasure to read Eileen Brilliant\u2019s wondrous poems; some, clear-eyed riddles from \u2018the anarchy of dreams,\u2019 others helpless to hide the secret self from herself, or from us, her fortunate readers. She wishes to leave her mark, wishes to be faithful, while admitting \u2018to be human is to be faithless.\u2019 This kind of honesty about love, longing and being human, persists throughout the book. <em>In The Middle Of Things, Begin<\/em> is a treasure.\"<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">\u2014Frances Richey, author of\u00a0<em>The Warrior: A Mother's Story of a Son at War<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>The Burning Point<\/em><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\"><em>\"In the Middle of Things, Begin<\/em> is written from a place where faith is the evidence of things not seen. The poet's mission here is to build the visionary bridge between the unheard and the unsaid, from where the paper it is written on has ears to where the birds are singing by magic.\"<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">\u2014Andrew Kaufman, author of\u00a0<em>Earth\u2019s Ends, The Complete Cinnamon Bay Sonnets,<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Both Sides of the Niger<\/em><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">\"When you read a poem by this author the sense of a genuine artist is evident.\"<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">\u2014Joshua Meander, Publisher of\u00a0<em>Nomad's Choir Poetry Journal<\/em><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">\"As Eileen Brilliant transcribes the arc of her life through memories of family and her evolving self, her courageous suite of poems penetrates into the nature of love, in all its guises. \u2018Because paper is an ear,\u2019 as she writes, it is through words on the page that we join her as she dives into \u2018those\/absent places where a heart should be home.\u2019 Ultimately, triumphantly, she arrives at that place where memory has space to fade into the \u2018calm of new connection\u2019 \u2013 home, at last, in \u2018the living poem\u2019 that truly and surely embraces love \u2013 which permits us, generously, in her company, to \u2018continue on.\u2019\"<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">\u2014Bo Niles, author of\u00a0<em>intimate geographies, natural causes<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>crescendo \/decrescendo<\/em><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">\"With rare honesty and courage, Eileen Brilliant allows us into her being and presents us with interwoven layers of complexity and nuance. Her poems are so rich that each reading is like opening a gift generously filled with insight and beauty.\"<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">\u2014Jackie Raven<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\"><strong><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1152 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/rainmountainpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Eileen-Brilliant-headshot.jpg\" alt=\"Eileen Brilliant\" width=\"200\" height=\"250\" \/>Eileen Brilliant<\/strong> has taught in the NYC Adult Education program as well as an Adjunct English Instructor at Baruch and Marymount Colleges. She currently conducts writing workshops at Payne Whitney, New York Presbyterian Hospital. Brilliant has previously published four chapbooks and is a member of the Himan Brown Senior Program's poetry group at the 92nd Street Y. She grew up in Brooklyn and presently divides her time between Manhattan and Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div role=\"tabpanel\" class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"tabs_desc_1151_2\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\"><strong>Because<\/strong><\/span><BR>\r\n<BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">I have stood at<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">the edge of<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">the round place<\/span><BR>\r\n<BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">feeding the<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">elephant<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">who feeds me\u2014<\/span><BR>\r\n<BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">because<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">paper is an ear,<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">so willing<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">and sound is<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">in my throat<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">waiting<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">to be caught\u2014<\/span><BR>\r\n<BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">because<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">the dogs are at<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">my heels<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">hungry<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">unforgiving\u2014<\/span><BR>\r\n<BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">while words<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">are faithful<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">they return<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">and nestle<\/span><BR>\r\n<BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">because<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">night looms<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">as light grows<\/span><BR>\r\n<BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">I have lain<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">at the edge<\/span><BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">of that round place<\/span><BR>\r\n<BR>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif\">and not fallen.<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n <script>\r\n\t\tjQuery(function () {\r\n\t\t\tjQuery('#myTab_1151 a:first').tab('show')\r\n\t\t});\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(function(){\r\n\t\t\tvar b=\"fadeIn\";\r\n\t\t\tvar c;\r\n\t\t\tvar a;\r\n\t\t\td(jQuery(\"#myTab_1151 a\"),jQuery(\"#tab-content_1151\"));function d(e,f,g){\r\n\t\t\t\te.click(function(i){\r\n\t\t\t\t\ti.preventDefault();\r\n\t\t\t\t\tjQuery(this).tab(\"show\");\r\n\t\t\t\t\tvar h=jQuery(this).data(\"easein\");\r\n\t\t\t\t\tif(c){c.removeClass(a);}\r\n\t\t\t\t\tif(h){f.find(\"div.active\").addClass(\"animated \"+h);a=h;}\r\n\t\t\t\t\telse{if(g){f.find(\"div.active\").addClass(\"animated \"+g);a=g;}else{f.find(\"div.active\").addClass(\"animated \"+b);a=b;}}c=f.find(\"div.active\");\r\n\t\t\t\t});\r\n\t\t\t}\r\n\t\t});\r\n\t\t\r\n\r\n\t\tfunction do_resize(){\r\n\r\n\t\t\tvar width=jQuery( '.tab-content .tab-pane iframe' ).width();\r\n\t\t\tvar height=jQuery( '.tab-content .tab-pane iframe' ).height();\r\n\r\n\t\t\tvar toggleSize = true;\r\n\t\t\tjQuery('iframe').animate({\r\n\t\t\t    width: toggleSize ? width : 640,\r\n\t\t\t    height: toggleSize ? height : 360\r\n\t\t\t  }, 250);\r\n\r\n\t\t\t  toggleSize = !toggleSize;\r\n\t\t}\r\n\r\n\r\n\t<\/script>\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0Eileen Brilliant<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1154,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[28],"product_tag":[58],"class_list":{"0":"post-1153","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-poetry","7":"product_tag-eileen-brilliant","9":"first","10":"instock","11":"shipping-taxable","12":"purchasable","13":"product-type-simple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rainmountainpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/1153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rainmountainpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rainmountainpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rainmountainpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rainmountainpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rainmountainpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=1153"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rainmountainpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=1153"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rainmountainpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=1153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}