Check My Documents, Tommy Domino 

This book sets grief on fire and creates a small rocky path to escape to a destination ending in love. It is a healing to an invisible ailment in a space of the heart undetected by any EKG.  Some of the raw emotions hit like a "Hurriquake" to your soul. I have compared the loss of a mother to being initiated into the fraternity of pain which is like an isolation in the spirit that is unknown without experiencing it first hand. This work chastises the demons and awakens the angels and will leave you feeling a little less alone in the world.

Check My Documents, Nadia Hunter Bey

Check My Documents gave words to feelings and experiences that we have all felt but either couldn't say out loud or admit to ourselves. You will cheer, cuss, cry, and talk back to this book! Linguistic acrobatics is this author's forte, and she will fling, slang, throw and grow you through the hardest tests life can present. And you will thank her for this "how I got out" blueprint. Reading Charlene's reclamation of self has been the inspirational kick in the pen my own sorrowful creativity has needed to begin my next steps after experiencing great losses.

Check My Documents, MsT Musze

I am biased. I went in knowing my senses would be gripped, seared, frozen and blown away. Check My Documents is like its author's pen: not for punks. Visceral wordsmiths will get it and find they've discovered a new cousin at the family reunion. Poem after poem, each page mirrors those of us latched on to the cycles of life despite what we've lived and are living through.

Check My Documents, Derek Brown

Undo the belt of your brain and unzip your poetry pants. What we have here is a belly busting feast of Michelin Star mental meals. Not snacks, meals. There are no tapas or appetizers amongst these delectable "Documents." Each ancestrally seasoned poem requires you to breathe from your diaphragm and loosen your pineal jaw before biting. Herbaceous honesty and truth tartare have been masterfully cheffed into a literary luncheon to salivate and satiate any poetic palette. Charlene has expertly plated hearty portions of grief, gratitude and getting back to greater, that have been thoughtfully poached in a healing broth of earnest redemption. Well done chef…well done indeed.

My Sentiments Exactly, Krystal Rains

A poignant tome of insightful prose
As I went through this book of poetry, I took my time and absorbed the clear views of so many situations. It felt as if the author had a view into my personal experiences, but it is true that so many of our personal are reflected throughout our world. Our lived experiences, good or bad, simple but more often complex in emotions and responses. There were views that were uncomfortable, others joyous and uplifting, mirroring the ebbs and flows of life and our walk through it. Moments of laughter and then of remembered pain, balanced with a page of Haiku. It is a brilliantly executed sharing, reflective, yet hopeful. I do recommend you pick up your own copy and delve into the pages that brought me peace and insight into realms that I had shut the door on.

My Sentiments Exactly, Jamie Eaddy Chism

 Charlene E. Green uses poetry to masterfully write about joy and pain, struggle and triumph, love and life. Whether it is "Zookeeper," "Salad and Water," or "Time Management," she takes you on an honest and thought-provoking journey, painting pictures with her words every step of the way. My Sentiments Exactly is a must read. 

Vicariously Speaking, Lynda V.E. Crawford 

Hustle Diva’s poems make me think—and smile. Her poems are long enough and insightful enough to give you time to settle in, to take in the massaging and uplifting words of hope. 

Every line of “Self-Construction” is a powerful reminder, a kneading of those tight muscle-coils to bring out the best, the power in you. 

If you ever get a chance to see her perform, take it. She's that good. She’s a hardworking blessing; take in the self-confidence her poems are striving to give you. 

Vicariously Speaking, Wil Bowers
People feel “seen” when someone finds a creative way of expressing an experience many have had but may never share honestly with others. Anyone who has had an unfulfilling relationship, struggled with their finances, felt like they were not reaching their personal goals, or wondering if their passion would remain elusive will feel “seen” while reading Vicariously Speaking. Charlene E. Green has injected insight, depth, and wit into this stunning book of poetry. The phrase “something for everyone” is often overused, but I believe anyone will find themselves nodding in agreement and self-recognition, and even having first-time realizations about themselves in Vicariously Speaking.

Vicariously Speaking, Mya Cooper

 I really love & respect the thought you put into Vicariously Speaking. I read it just in time, as it is very on theme for what I'm currently going through.  My favorite poems in the book are "Self-Construction," "Eyes of Truth," & "Acknowledgement." 

Vicariously Speaking, Elizabeth Jane Briese

 Hello Miss Charlene! You probably don't remember me. However, I have become quite a fan after your awesome presentation at L.A. EXPRESSIONS. I bought VICARIOUSLY SPEAKING and since my purchase have NOT been able to put it down. On this coming Saturday I will read "THE LAST MEAL." I will do my best as I try to do justice to your spoken word. Thank You!  

Vicariously Speaking, Zoe Smiles

A heavy hitting book with the gentle caress of caring, thoughtful word play. The themes are timeless and the poems are impactful. Charlene is doing real work as she helps us tackle some difficult topics all while holding our hand and marching forward. I had a visceral reaction to this book and immediately loaned it out so that these words could do their work on impacting others. Charlene is raw and refined. She serves you the whole truth and nothing but the truth with a side of tenderness. This book is a must for any reader who loves impactful poetry.

You Betta WRITE!, Paul Preuss
What follows is, frankly, inadequate. Reading your poems was a nonstop revelation of truth, power, empathy, experience, and skill. Sometimes it was funny. Sometimes it was beautiful. It was always profoundly moving.

I love books and generally try not to mess mine up, but when I get a good one I'm prone to dog-earing it. That was the fate of You Betta WRITE! So many lines, so many poems I wanted to make sure I could find again fast.

A paragraph in the second section of the free verse part, from "My Apologies to the War Heroines"

I'm sorry that in your world sending them to the store is synonymous with sending them to their grave

 which, although far from alone in this book in its power, just leaped off the page and hit me right between the eyes as one of the most cogent statements of the mess this country is in I've read anywhere. Nineteen words that say more than a crate full of New York Times articles, from a poem about an issue that bears more and more heavily on anyone even half conscious.
Your reach doesn't begin to stop there. Some rare and unique statements are gentle and personal, like the one that begins

Let's meet At our spot The one with our initials Already carved Into the Universe's memory

While others are just as personal but far from gentle. "Tally," for example:

That one moment you stopped counting his infractions added up your worth divided yourself from your fears multiplied your faith and subtracted him from your life

 And the ones that are downright funny at the same time they remind us of the subtlest of human interactions:

across the grooves of my lifelines will be all the answers I'll need to slide summa cum laude effortlessly into your soul

Okay! Stop me before I quote about 150 pages of poetry. My point is simple: you are wonderfully gifted, with a voice -- voices, I mean, each always right on -- that deserve to be heard and read far and wide.

I've been enthusing over the free verse, but equally enjoyed your excursions into sonnets and haiku, which in each case produced work unlike anything I've read. A haiku that doesn't twitter about falling cherry blossoms but reminds us that karma's a beast packs terrific punch. As throughout the book, the sections for black life and black youth in each part lifted me a little higher in understanding.

You succeeded in many unexpected ways in achieving your stated goal of inspiring this reader to strive for personal goals (in my case, in fiction) by sharing your experiences. Thank you, Charlene.