Truthteller Book

TruthTeller is a collection of poems that I have written over the past twenty-five years. They represent my journey to find and experience the universal Truth in Life. Sometimes, my search required me to enter areas of life that were quite different from what I would normally experience in my role as a wife and mother. It took great courage to look honestly into these experiences, and quite often I would feel the need to retreat somewhere away from home and family in order to "hear" the ideas that were coming through me. Sometimes, it was what took place in my home and what my interactions were with my family that provided the inspiration for me to write the poems.

Being a poet is a solitary and a personal profession, because one is always writing about what one sees or feels. It is the unique interpretation of the individual poet, even though poets are inspired to write about common themes or experiences.

A poet's whole life is about words and the meaning behind the words. The search is a constant one to find the depth of the meaning. It requires plunging oneself into the experience to see how far one must go to fathom the truth of that experience. Often, it can be an agonizing experience, as well as a joyful one.

Sometimes I see poetry as a way to experience Life itself. When the beauty of Nature transports me or if I feel the darkness of despair, I think I am going beyond what is happening to me in time and space. It can often be maddening and difficult for the poet as well as the people around her. Yet the search must go on, the truth must be known, and the journey must be taken.

Personally, I am a practical person so I like the portability of this art form. A poem can always be a companion; it does not have to be hung on a wall or left on a shelf. It can be shared in so many important ways in the rituals of everyday life.

Most importantly, poetry touches the soul. It provides one with a passage to the interior life that is always going on. It speaks to us in times of need as well as times of joy. It fulfills our hunger for that which is true and beautiful and beyond the known. It brings peace and contentment to our lives. It sharpens our awareness of what is all around us. It, like music and art, is the food that nourishes this inner self.

So even though the journey wasn't always easy, it has been most worthwhile.

As you join me now to see where I have been, I trust you will be inspired to journey into your own depths and to enjoy what you experience.

I am grateful to you the Reader, as I am grateful to the Writer—for they are one.

Just to let you know: I am giving a Creative Writing Seminar on Thursday, March 21,2002 from 10:00 A.M. to 12 Noon at Books on Vernon,664 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe, Illinois (847)835-5180.
Fee is $30.00 (includes paperback copy of TruthTeller). Call to register.