On and Off the Trail is an original hybrid work, pairing over 20 nature poems with select black and white photographs captured at various natural settings in Schenectady, Albany, Saratoga, and Montgomery Counties. The book relies on the combination of words and images to offer readers a deeper connection to place-based art in homage to Capital Region landscapes. The poetry collection includes a mixture of poems written in unrestricted free verse, using imagery, metaphor, and alliteration as primary literary devices, as well as those that are written in classical poetic forms. The author believes formal poetry lends an appealing structure to a poem, easily sets it apart from prose, and challenges the poet to conform (to some degree anyway) to a certain set of literary rules. The photography showcases the beauty and richness of the author’s environment throughout the four seasons, scenes which inspired the writing that accompanies them. Ultimately, On and Off the Trail is the author's tribute to her local community.
