Acknowledgements for Poem Day
Last updated: 2/97, but continually growing

     I have been extremely fortunate to find immeasurable support that fueled my writing and provided me with sources of inspiration.  Even at Binghamton University, where I realized that college students would be the least-likely audience for this sort of book, I received prolific encouragement from friends and faculty members where their mere interest alone was enough to aid me through the process.
     First, I'd like to thank the head counselor I worked with in the summer of  96 at Beth El Summer Session, Debbie Sullivan.  Her words, "This could be a book," backed up by Jen Davis, were what got me started.
     The Blue Jays of Beth El  96, along with devoted counselor Lior Spring, inspired the "Good-Bye" duet.  I wrote "I See Things Differently" to answer a question of The All-Stars.
     The Jacobs family provided some unexpected inspiration for one of the poems.  It is safe to say that "The Pigdog" never would have been written without their inspiration.
     Neil, Madeline, Julie and especially Andrew Leff provided both encouragement and inspiraiton.  I was especially honored to find out that Andrew was inspired by me to write a poem of his own that he entitled "Blank Page."
     Aunt Ida, before she even heard a single poem, was always assisting me and was eager to help me in any way possible.
     Grandmom Esther has always been quick to toute her grandchildren's accomplishments and was everexcited to hear the latest progress report.
     Dr. Chen's psychology lesson on divirgent thinking inspired "Glass Bottle," and her and her son's encouragement was especially gratifying.  
     Professor Bidney understood the importance of "preserving a poet's anonyminity," and the story he tought in class, Turgenev's "The Singers," was one of the things that inspired "The Seagull Understood."
     Mrs. Gottesfeld's lessons from high school on the Daedelus and Icarus myth also laid the foundation for "The Seagull."  Her commentary on James Joyce directly inspired "Window Seat."  It was also in that class that I truly learned that hard work pays off, a lesson I not only remembered while writing this book, but it is something I will forever remember.
     Marcia Miller served as a mentor, and I was always quick to act on her advice, especially since it was coming from one who has long since been traveling the road that I now begin embark upon.
     Kristi Hedayati went to great lengths and put undue efforts as she tried to get this book published.  In becoming a supporter of my work, she immensely supported me.
     Several friends of mine at Binghamton helped to encourage my pride in my work.  Although I surely cannot remember everyone who affected me there, they include: two very different poets, Anthony and Tehilah, Beth of Lehman, the staff of Pipe Dream who kept another form of my writing flowing, the mixed bag of nuts on 1B, Keith, Sara, Monsieur Leifert, Mara and Dave of 2B, Taryn, Christina, Suite 324, the boys across the way in 320, Andrew, Jon, Steve, Dan, and especially Hirsch  of 3A, and even Nick. Two of Alan and Joel's programs inspired "Ten Pins Standing" and "Who Knew Blue?"  Eon inadvertently gave me the idea for "What's the Password?"  I also must mention to Ben: I continued to write and to follow my dreams despite your melancholic criticism, so there!  
     I have been so fortunate as to have such friends from home that never ceased to lose interest in my endeavor, although most of their encouragement was expressed through e-mail: Mike, Ahmed, Everett, Jeremy, Brad, Dan and Bucky.  
     My newest sibling, but by no means my youngest, Mira, was of great encouragement and assisted in finding an artist.
     My brother Adam helped me by leading by example, in a sense.  Watching his continual success as an artist has been great inspiration, no matter how different our media of choice may be.
     My oldest brother, Joel, deserves thanks for not writing a book of children's poetry during his college years, because it is only now I that have an accomplishment that does not fall directly under his shadow.  Yet as my other achievements seem to mirror his, I'm grateful as there is no finer shadow.
     My parents have always been encouraging me no matter what I did, and they were always ready to read and offer constructive criticism, when it applied, of the poetry.  "I'll Do It Later," is autobiographical, and the alligator's parents are reminiscent of mine.  They are also waiting for me to learn a lesson from Eugene Bleen.
     My nephew, Ari, was incredibly inspirational.  Many of the poems were written by me looking at the world through his eyes.  He also came up with the idea for "Max the Duck" and "Poem Day."  In addition, the pictures of him plastered over my Binghamton walls kept me especially cheerful while writing the book and reminded me who I was really writing this book for.
     Lastly, this book would not have been written without the initial encouragement of my sister, Dana.  Throughout the process, she was always willing, and moreso eager, to hear my poems, critique them and act as my downstate New York headquarters for the business-end of the book.  She was often my first audience for my poems as I'd compose one at midnight and read it to her before I even read it through to myself.  From searching for a publisher to advising me on agents, illustrators and the poems that would work best in sample collections, her endless help gave me added reasons to keep working harder.  
     Rest assured, anyone along the way who took interest in my endeavor, asked to hear a poem or wished me luck when I felt I most needed it helped me and gave me one more reason to keep moving forward.  They gave me insight into my vision and inspired me to keep dreaming, even if just for that moment to carry me into the next.  I wish for all of them the insight of a child, the hindsight of an elder, but mostly as they travel life's paths and venture in their own endeavors, I wish them an abundance of "Poem Days."