Poetry. LIKE VAPOR reminds us how poetry transcends the individual and the common place with poems that are narrative and lyrical. Friedler's imagery and music show her tenderness and compassion. She writes truths of human experience: a pheasant crossing the highway, the house around the corner, a friend dying of AIDS. In these experiences we are assured of humanity, our existence and our eventual extinction, with a grace and comfort that uplilfts our spirits and encourages our own consideration of life. Gaines-Friedler's poetry is widely published and has won numerous awards including first place in the 2006 Litchfield Review contest for a series of poems based on the journal of her friend Jim who died from AIDS. Additionally, her work has been published in The Driftwood Review, MARGIE, The Pebble Lake Review, RATTLE, Swallow The Moon, and other literary journals. She is currently an MFA student at Ashland University in Ohio. Besides working in classrooms at Oakland Community College as an Academic Literacy Para-professional and a CRLA certified tutor, she is running poetry workshops for young adults at the Common Ground Sanctuary for Families in Crisis.

Joy Gaines-Friedler has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History. Her poetry is widely published and has won numerous awards. She is currently an MFA student at Ashland University in Ohio.