At Summer's Wistful End

The third volume of K. A. Opperman's POEMS FOR HALLOWEEN SERIES.

As the summer fades, journey through October's door...

At Summer’s Wistful End is K. A. Opperman’s triumphant final entry in the Poems for Halloween Series—a capstone for the motley array of jack-o’-lanterns, specters, skeletons and spooks the author so gleefully conjures for us in these lively seasonal verses. These poems range in tone from celebratory to somber, from cozy to macabre, recalling an atmosphere of mist and dream lanced by the last rays of the summer sun. Opperman helps us discover the candy-filled cauldron at Summer’s End—the fabled reward at the end of a long journey; the gift of remembered youth, and with it—a new beginning.

Featuring more than 20 atmospheric full-page black and white illustrations by Dan Sauer.

“Half alchemist, half hypnotist, K. A. Opperman distills the quintessence of Halloween into rhythmic rhyming incantations; read them aloud to taste the candy corn, scent the cinnamon and cloves, and glimpse the eerie orange flame dancing in the jack-o’-lantern’s gap-toothed grin. Samhain, Hop-tu-Naa, Ealra Hálgena Ǽfen...call it what you will: this book will make you yearn for the childlike euphoria that only happens on All Hallows’ Eve.” —Adam Bolivar, Author of Ballads for the Witching Hour

“K. A. Opperman acts as consummate seer to the witching season... each verse gleams like a mournful ember at the heart of a dying Samhain bonfire... This is poetry by one who has tread the Jack-o’-Lantern Path devoutly, ruminations and revelations from the heart of a dark reverence. Recommended for all souls who feel the draw of autumnal nights, who shiver in expectation as well as fear at the nearness of veil’s parting.” —Scott J. Couturier, author of I Awaken In October: Poems of Folk Horror and Halloween and The Box

“Like one of his beloved jack-o’-lanterns, K. A. Opperman has carved a niche for himself as the doyen of Halloween-themed poetry... he gathers the remaining poems in his bag of treats to offer up a final tribute to his favorite holiday. Opperman’s love for everything from the changing colors of foliage to picking apples and the growing of pumpkins is represented. I have high hopes that this series will help spark a tradition of Halloween poetry to rival the abundance of carols, stories and poems for the Christmastide.” —Manuel Arenas, author of Book of Shadows and The Burning Ember Mission of Helldorado

“...[K. A. Opperman] is the gifted descendant of poets ranging from Poe to Walter Scott to Robert Burns, all of whom understood that Halloween’s deliciously dark mood may be best served by poetry.” —Lisa Morton, author of Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween

“K. A. Opperman’s poems evoke both the dark chill of late October and the warmth of a cottage fireside. He captures a time outside of time, an otherworld populated by Pumpkin Kings and haunted souls who wander the edges of our consciousness begging to come inside.”—Lesley Pratt Bannatyne, author of Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History

K. A. OPPERMAN is a poet and artist hailing from southern California. In addition to his Halloween poetry, Opperman is the author of two volumes of Gothic poetry: The Crimson Tome (2015) and The Laughter of Ghouls (coming in early 2021), both published by Hippocampus Press. His work has appeared in Midnight Under the Big Top (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2020), Black Wings of Cthulhu 6 (Titan Books, 2018), Spectral Realms, Vastarien, Weirdbook, Weird Fiction Review, The Audient Void, Eye to the Telescope, and many other venues.

DAN SAUER is a graphic designer and artist living in Oregon. In 2016, he co-founded (with editor/publisher Obadiah Baird) The Audient Void: A Journal of Weird Fiction and Dark Fantasy, which features his design and illustration work. Since 2017, he has worked extensively on book covers and interior art for Hippocampus Press, Centipede Press, and other publishers. His art often takes the form of surreal collage and photomontage, as pioneered by artists such as Max Ernst, J. K. Potter and Harry O. Morris.