The Fates
My beautiful new poetry book “The Fates” which won Bright Hill Press’ annual contest is a reality!
I am so grateful to editor Bertha Rogers for the tasteful and readable design and for the exquisite cover art entitled “Two Birds Speaking.”
My book contains 58 poems arranged into three sections, each headed by a poem about one of the three Fates or Morae from Greek mythology: Klotho who spins the thread of life, Lachesis who measures it and Atropos who snips it at the end. The point of the book is the exploration of ‘fate versus free will.’ How much control do we have over our lives? The character that occurs most frequently is my maternal grandmother, Esther, a Swedish immigrant, who was also a psychic medium. Her struggles, mental and physical, have often given me poetic inspiration. The fact that she was a seamstress and a milliner as well as a card reader, ties in well with the stories of the Fates. My work as a Hospice Nurse is also reflected in these poems as is the presence of death in my personal life. While hardship might seem prevalent, hopefully courage, love and beauty are truly the dominant themes.
I just returned from a few days at Bright Hill Literary Center, in Treadwell, New York, where I gave a reading from my book. The event took place in one of the two gallery rooms hung with local contemporary art. I also wandered through the serenity of the Catskill countryside and wrote some new poetry. I got to browse and sample books from the expansive Bright Hill Library on the site and to peruse books by other Bright Hill authors.
I was most inspired by Bertha herself: her writing, her teaching, her vision, her personality. I was also awed by the work of Beatrice Georgalidis, the new executive director, and grateful for the precise copyreading and detail work done by Lawrence Shaw, Administrative Assistant. Please browse the amazing website, newly created through a grant: www.brighthillpress.org. Under the section “What We Do” you can meet the three people mentioned above and if you click on “Bright Hill Books” you will see “The Fates!”
You can purchase your own personally autographed copy by clicking the link above or by emailing me at joanneclarkson28@gmail.com or texting 360-701-2030. A FB message will do as well.
