Story quality varies, and I feel the best stories came first, but there were enough strong stories and poems that I don't want to give up this book. While some may glance at a macabre theme, none entered the realm of horror (which I won't read).
The contents seemed to be grouped by theme, although those themes were not identified, and sometimes a poem entry would complete that theme group, or at least reflect on the preceding story. For example, "Mollusk Dreams" by Etchemendy (enh, not impressionable) & "Up the Mountain" by Wilson (an energetic tale) both deal with humans turning into an animal. "The Apple Golem" by Rogers and "Clay" by Mannheim are both excellent explorations of golems. "Armdale Rotary Horse" by Beckett and "Word Drift" by Ingold deal with word loss. "Old Woman Who Created Life" by Sherman and "Nettie's Garden" by Matthesen both have an older woman who guides the development of a younger woman's character. A woman changes into a bird in both "King of Crows" by Snyder (a sweet tale, but not well told) and the poem "Swan/Princess" by Yolen. There are quite a few entries in which a predecessor tale or character can be identified: "Jo's Hair" by Palwick (which is a stodgy summary of Alcott's life), "Charon's Wife" by Kinney (beautiful thought-provoking poem), "The Lizard Queen" by Stone (conflating different fairy tale tropes). "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" by Brown was a very funny application of fairy tale tropes by a modern woman, and "A Report Concerning the Predator Population in the Northern Part of the Forest" by Beckett (too smartass to be worth re-reading).
The poem "The Asgard Philharmonic Plays Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture" by Schimel lets you feel the power of music. "The Harmony" by Levinson also explores the power of music, and the consequences of following your desires. "Nvumbi" by Tern is a sad, chilling tale of soul stealing in a female dominated society. "Fortune Tellers" by Taylor is a poem worth savoring and sharing. ( )

I would like to thank Nancy Etchemendy for her story "Mollusk Dreams."

To this day I can't bear to hurt snails in the garden. Fortunately for my tender sensibilities, the crows and raccoons feast upon them.

That story has stuck tight to my subconscious despite good gardening sense, so: congratulations to the author who created a lasting impression.