Native California writer and Lambda Literary Award Winner Krandall Kraus’ new book spans poems written and sent to friends every Christmas since 1976. The poems encapsulate the life of the poet and the difficult times he lived through. The poems deal with faith, love, loss, AIDS, birth, death and survival. Most of the poems center around the search of the Magi and carry out the theme of "the human journey". His work has been compared to that of Mary Oliver, since animals are an important part of life for Kraus and play a major role in his work. Kraus writes about searching for the answers to the great questions of life the way the Magi searched for the Christ child. A few of the poems delve into the deaths of friends, the death of his long-time companion, and his own battle with HIV. When it comes to endurance and survival, he turns to observing animals. From Christmas 2001: "The next time you are driving in the country and you see a dog walking down the road, pull over and look into his eyes, ask him what he has to show you. Ask him how to believe in the journey, how to accept abandonment and loss, how to break a chain. Ask him how to endure the rain and wind, how to sleep alone, how to live without love." The book has been hailed by writers Felice Picano, Mark Thompson and former U.S. Poet Laureate Josephine Jacobsen. And while his poetry has appeared over the years in the New York Times and several literary journals, his work has never been collected. He is beginning a 7-city book tour beginning in December, just in time for the holidays. Kraus is the author of four other books. His nonfiction book, "It’s Never About What It’s About: What We Learned About Living While Waiting To Die", co-authored with Paul A. Borja, won a 2000 Lambda Literary Award. He also has published three novels: "The President’s Son"; "Bardo"; and a Lambda Literary Award Finalist in the Mystery category, "Love’s Last Chance". He has been a college professor, served as consultant to The White House, was Acting Head of Publications and Media for The Library of Congress, and raised millions of dollars as grant writer for the San Francisco AIDS Office. - from Amzon