ELENI TRAGANAS is an award-winning renaissance artist in many fields: musician, composer, painter, writer and poet. In SHADED PERGOLA she brings her unique talents to haiku and short poetry. With luxurious original sketches and botanical illustrations inspired by antiquarian engravings, the poems of SHADED PERGOLA embody evanescent impressions meant to speak for themselves-and lead the reader into a transitory and spellbinding world where nature and the human soul find a common but rarefied affinity. PRAISE FOR SHADED PERGOLA: "THIS BOOK IS A MUST-READ. Graceful, like a quiet call to prayer, this collection carefully balances human reflection with lessons from nature. The speaker's keenly observant and carefully revealed feelings form a foundation of trust with readers. The beauty and quiet power of the poet's work make this volume of verse one that almost any poetry fan will likely treasure." - THE US REVIEW OF BOOKS "Multi-talented, [Traganas] defies definition. She is all about beauty with all its deep implications. For those who have a penchant for botanical studies, there is a delight waiting to feast their eyes... gorgeous manifestations of beauty." - WORLD HAIKU REVIEW "Fall into a kaleidoscope of poignancy and beauty as the pages unfold in this delightful read. Eloquently written and gorgeously illustrated with handcrafted artistry, haiku poems and delicate prose lull the soul into a world where little exists except purity and succulence." - THE MANHATTAN BOOK REVIEW "SHADED PERGOLA is an exemplary collection of vividly descriptive English-language haiku and original illustrations. ELENI TRAGANAS does not shy away from employing the traditional 5-7-5 syllable format to explore nature's beauty and humanity's complexity in a time when post-modernists strive to throw even the simplest literary rules by the wayside. The crisp images and poignant ponderings invoked by phrases of meticulously chosen words along with exquisitely detailed illustrations showcase the multi-faceted talent TRAGANAS brings to this artfully created masterpiece. SHADED PERGOLA is the ideal specimen every English-language haiku collection should emulate." - Randal A. Burd, Jr., editor, SPARKS OF CALLIOPE "ELENI TRAGANAS is a renaissance artist who, being totally self-aware, has mastered the art of conjuring up the infinite and sharing it with us in perfectly formatted haiku. This is not to say that TRAGANAS deals only with abstractions-she doesn't. Her subject matter in SHADED PERGOLA is the everyday, but it is the everyday amplified through her carefully calibrated appreciation. As she says: 'I just see my soul in everyone,' and her vision is absolutely crystal clear! Highly recommended!" - Ron Kolm, contributing editor, SENSITIVE SKIN MAGAZINE, author of NIGHT SHIFT "TRAGANAS' SHADED PERGOLA contains an abundance of vividly expressed poems. She has an Asian sensitivity to the minutia of human experiences, of nature, and of seasons. Her collection of poems is an honorable homage to that Japanese and Chinese sensibility." - Thomas H. Chockley, author of PERSONAL MYTHS: BORN IN MYSTERY