Sometimes labors of love, tenacity and heaps of talent do pay off. Such is the saga of Charlene Fix and Flowering Bruno: A Dogography. Here is a tale that says it is possible to get illustrated poetry books published if you have a lot of stamps and enough envelopes to keep sending out the manuscripts. Fix and her colleague, Susan Josephson joined forces when they decided that would illustrate Fix's poems that are about dogs. They are about dogs and they are not about dogs. Dogs are the vehicle by which Fix observes life. Not in all her poems, but in these. For years, she walked her dog through her Clintonville neighborhood and mused on life through the seasons of change-her dog's change, her change and the neighborhood's.

Fix's poems are lush, gorgeous, humorous and poignant, all at the same time. I am a Fix follower, and I have to admit, not the biggest dog person in the world. No matter-her poems speak to me regardless. Besides being a terrific, award-winning poet, Fix is the type of poet that is a pleasure to hear read. You can catch her this Thursday at 7 p.m. at The Rattlebox held at Liberty Books and News on Lane Avenue.

When you're there pick up a copy or two of Flowering Bruno. If you can't come, you can order the book on-line at XOXOX Press's website.