Victor Stringer, a poet, veteran, and father, has released his debut collection, Lingering Light: 80 Poems, published by American Publishers Empire on July 19, 2026. The book is now available worldwide on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardcover editions. With eighty poems written over two decades, the collection spans seven thematic sections, from love and loss to childhood and war, unified by a voice that seeks truth beyond the fleeting moment.
The title, Lingering Light, encapsulates a core idea: some feelings do not dissipate with time. They persist, resurface, and shape us long after the original experience. Stringer's work is not built around a single message but around a consistent voice—one that moves between the confessional and the philosophical, treating ordinary moments with the same weight as extraordinary ones. As Stringer notes, “What unifies this collection is not one subject. It is a voice that keeps chasing the same thing across very different rooms of a life: something true, something that outlasts the moment it was written in.”
The collection opens with Love & Romance, featuring poems like “Being With You,” which traverses Central Park, the Eiffel Tower, and a sunset in Montego Bay to capture the essence of belonging. Loss, Heartbreak & Emotional Darkness follows, exploring the aftermath of love, as in “Two Sides of a Broken Heart,” where a man returns to a shared beach, clutching the halves of a broken heart charm. Childhood, Family & Innocence turns to fatherhood, with poems like “Daddy, Will You Blow My Chicken,” built from a three-year-old's real questions and requests, including a concern about ducks that might speak Spanish.
Spirituality and reflection are central in Spirituality, Reflection & Inner Peace, where “Yogi Time” describes a meditation in the woods leading to an encounter with a golden light and a voice that reminds the poet of unfinished work. Journey, Memory & Place uses travel and landscape to process emotions, while Identity, Existence & Philosophical Questions delves into the nature of self beyond roles like lover, father, soldier, or believer. The most challenging section, War, Struggle & Warrior Energy, includes poems from a soldier's perspective, such as “A Young Warrior's Request!,” which addresses politicians directly, speaking for those who must live with decisions they did not make.
The collection closes with shorter, more experimental pieces, including “Irish Dancer” and “A Pirate's Life for Me,” demonstrating that even a book rooted in honesty can embrace play. Stringer's work is deeply personal, drawing on his military service, spiritual searching, romantic experiences, and raising children. His poetry resonates with universal themes, making it accessible to a wide audience.
The publication of Lingering Light is significant for readers interested in contemporary poetry that tackles profound questions. It offers a unique perspective from a veteran, addressing the lingering effects of war and love, and the search for meaning in everyday life. The book is available in Kindle, Paperback (ISBN: 9781971232577), and Hardcover (ISBN: 9781971232584) formats via Amazon, including in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. For those seeking poetry that is both raw and reflective, Lingering Light provides a compelling journey through the human condition.
