Happy week after Independence Day from NightBallet Press, where we are honored to announce
the publication of
What Keeps Me Awake by Connie Willett Everett!
the publication of
What Keeps Me Awake by Connie Willett Everett!
What Keeps Me Awake by Columbus, Ohio poet Connie Willett Everett is a 48 paged book of 39 poems...haunting and evocative poems with titles such as "Where We Lived," "Half-Moon Bay, Jamaica," "Pedicure," "For Sale in Bangkok," "Nuclear Fallout," and "Planetary Signs." Her poem "Leaving Paradise" captures perfectly some of the things that "keep her awake":
Leaving Paradise
Somewhere near Jupiter I realize paradise is well behind me.
I’m driving against the steady Atlantic ebb, beach deserted,
sun gone down and nothing but stuttering shadows, a full moon
harangued by dark clouds.
It’s late when I pull under the flashing VACANCY.
A lap dance of neon undulates across my salt-crusted windshield.
I slouch into a damp room tuned to the hoarse rattle of
a dying air conditioner.
Long ago I saw a rocket launched near this coastal town,
a small light in the dark, earth trembling with possibility.
Tonight, on this thin shell of de León’s dream, it’s the tide
I hear close by.
The rooms here square a courtyard around the parking lot.
Travelers, like me, lank in open doorways of skeletal light,
smoke slow cigarettes, tiny constellations in the dark,
not yet ready to sleep.
Somewhere near Jupiter I realize paradise is well behind me.
I’m driving against the steady Atlantic ebb, beach deserted,
sun gone down and nothing but stuttering shadows, a full moon
harangued by dark clouds.
It’s late when I pull under the flashing VACANCY.
A lap dance of neon undulates across my salt-crusted windshield.
I slouch into a damp room tuned to the hoarse rattle of
a dying air conditioner.
Long ago I saw a rocket launched near this coastal town,
a small light in the dark, earth trembling with possibility.
Tonight, on this thin shell of de León’s dream, it’s the tide
I hear close by.
The rooms here square a courtyard around the parking lot.
Travelers, like me, lank in open doorways of skeletal light,
smoke slow cigarettes, tiny constellations in the dark,
not yet ready to sleep.
With deft hand, steady eye, open mind and a caring heart, Everett explores the underbelly of the American Dream, the scenes behind the screens at vacation resorts, the commercial and the crass, the American perspective and the soaring of human hope.
What Keeps Me Awake boasts a stunning cover photograph taken by artist/poet Kevin Eberhardt of his art piece "Full Sail," printed on textured ivory cardstock. The book contains a rich golden cardstock insert, and the text is printed on thick ivory paper. Beginning today, July 4, 2015, you may order What Keeps Me Awake from NightBallet Press for only $10 plus $4 shipping/handling!
Connie Willett Everett received degrees from Ohio University and Bowling Green State University, including an MFA in creative writing. She is a member of the National League of American PEN Women and of Columbus Poetry Salon. She is senior editor for Pudding House Productions, and her reviews appear in Ohioana Quarterly. A former teacher of English, writing, and Women's Studies, Everett has presented workshops for public schools, women's retreats, juvenile detention centers, writers' workshops, and other groups. Everett co-coordinates The Poetry Forum in Columbus, Ohio, and has produced and emceed many poetry and mixed media events.
Her poems and fiction have been published in numerous journals and several have won national and regional awards. Previous chapbooks include Mothers, Daughter and Dreams (Bottom Dog Press, 1995) and As Good As It Gets, Sometimes (Pudding House Publications, 2008). Everett helps run a family business, and is a committed community, political, and arts activist. She has two grown children and lives in Worthington, Ohio with her husband, a cat and a dog.
Don't wait! Order your copy of What Keeps Me Awake today!
"Full Sail"
Editor's note: all of Eberhardt's art pieces are for sale, including this one. If you wish to obtain this evocative piece, you can contact him at KE767@hotmail.com, or contact NightBallet Press for additional information.
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