LIFE AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN is original and honest. Stephen Dodds is deeply impassionate and a talented word-smith who seems in no way pretentious. He removes himself from his poetic works and the reader is infused with an untainted "witnessing" that the author himself seems to possess. The author's greatest strength is in his simplicity. The poems are in themselves very simplistic, yet they carry an echo of spontaneity and joy despite an objective and balanced perspective on a tapestry of subject matter from boxing to philosophy, 9/11, cultural commentary and just plain daydreaming. Much of this poetry is pregnant with metaphor and the author's tone is soothing, simple and free. His voice is crystal clear and the poetry has an excellent rhythm. The artistry of the lines is wonderfully visual, spiritual and sensual at times, when the author is steeped in his natural philosophical passions.