March epistolary essays have begun arriving. This week enjoy two Writing It Real members’ letters to their books’ audiences. Whether you are writing to explain yourself to your audience (and thus to yourself) when it comes to the book you have written, are writing or would write, or trying to give those who might read your book a taste of what they will encounter, this essay form allows you to share what you most want to about what you write. I look forward to receiving more member letters before the end of March. Get busy writing–again, this letter could be about a book not yet published or one you always hope you will start writing. It doesn’t hurt to write about a book you’ve published either!

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Dear Audience by Amy Muscoplat

Dear Audience,

In our last correspondence, you asked me why I write this book, despite the personal and other roadblocks in the way over the years.  Why do I continue? Whom is it for and what does it have to offer me and the world?

“Ambitious goals,” I think before I answer.  The goal was to spread joy and positivity in the world, starting with myself.  Or, to at least acknowledge how far I myself have come over the years and to tell that story.

In the years that I have struggled and the years that I have flourished, there is a narrative that many will find relatable. Ohers will find inspiration to try to find hope and joy when it’s not a primary way they respond to life events. It has served to give me hope that “this too will pass,” to remind myself I have gone through other challenges and risen beyond them. I remember in this letter, that the aim of this book, written in the middle of life and all that is going on, the important things are to cling to my faith, to remind myself I cannot afford the luxury of my own predisposition towards negative thoughts, and that firstly, I am trying to be kind.

The story is for those who themselves struggle with getting mired in the muck of their thoughts, or those who have or are in a battle for control of their mind in the middle of some challenging situation or other. It could also be for people overcoming: overcoming childhood hardships, overcoming situational or family hardships, dealing with chronic medical conditions or child-rearing and raising difficulties. It is a story of finding hope.

I am reminded of a line learned years ago in school, that the late Harvey Milk said about how, “You cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living.”  This is true and apt for this book.

Perhaps I’ve stumbled and struggled in the past trying to write and finish this book for the very same reasons that it is being written: I had to shore up my own hope at the time, my own belief in myself, the knowing at some level that my message would have resonance for others, but especially for me…just to return my mind back to joy and gratitude now. In this moment.  In every moment. Over and over and over again.

My letter could list all the reasons why I’m qualified to write this, the book proposal components, a synopsis, essentially the prospectus for the book, what each chapter includes – from epigraph, illustrations, and photos of relevant ephemera and practical exercises, but know this. You will read a book I poured my heart, mind, and professional experiences into over years.  The message is one about sparking the internal courage to find calm, find peace, find community and find joy. There’s no easy way to find those things internally (let alone truly lasting ones externally) but to go through the muck, with the most amount of courage, pluck, moxie, and grace one can. To jump over it has also worked at times, even as a short person without long track-hurdler legs.

The book uses a common analogy that people with electricity in their homes will be able to follow and those who are interested in inner-self circuitry will find it interesting to watch and read as the cables uncoil through the chapters.

To quote Mikey of the old “Life” cereal tv commercial fame, “Try it, you’ll like it.”

It’s about finding and making a life with meaning.

Thank you kindly for reading my letter and considering how this book might resonate positively with you. I look forward to, God willing, hearing that this book is well received by you, its audience.

Amy Muscoplat

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To Potential Readers of My Latest Poetry Collection by David D. Horowitz

To potential readers of my latest poetry collection:

My poetry collections typically focus on diverse subjects and objects. Slow Clouds over Rush Hour, my latest collection published in March 2021, is typical. In it you can find poems about my mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease; ancient Roman history; how love and lust intertwine; urban dusk landscapes; the Chicago Cubs; religious demagoguery and spiritual authenticity; cherry blossoms; violent crime; and dozens of other subjects. I’m triggered by rhyme and meter, and I’m still fascinated by life in all its facets, so I react through musical language to what I experience and observe.

That said, many of my new book’s poems reflect my passionate hope political discourse and competition in the United States can become more civil and considerate. This is a popular aspiration, and I agree with the many millions who rue the influence of demagogues all across the political spectrum who demonize opponents and oversimplify issues to boost sagging poll numbers, egos, and election chances. I pray for more philosophical integrity and less rhetorical noise. To that end, two sections of Slow Clouds over Rush Hour focus almost exclusively on rhetorical tone in contemporary political discussion. These sections are “Infection” and “Consideration Is Not Cowardice.” Both sections consist of dozens of politically inflected epigrams. Let me share some of them here:

HOUSE FIT FOR A KING

—December 2016

“Sure, move in! And no need for hand truck, boxes, pallets.
It’s not The White House now—it’s Caesar’s Palace!”

POLITICS AND MANUFACTURING

“How manufacturing has thrived throughout our nation
Because of me!” Yes, you’re good at fabrication.

IN THE SIDE

You blame, denounce, accuse and holler, yell and scorn.
You could have been a rose but fight to stay a thorn.

THE PURE

You rail against The Evil Enemy, as your grand -ism
Unites the Pure! Then schism after schism after schism…

OFF THE LEASH

Philosophy seeks truths
As Dogma barks at troops.

REVOLUTIONARY

Not demagogue declaring I am great and strong,
You state four revolutionary words: I might be wrong.

CONSIDERING

Discover truth? You’ll need to dig, research,
And test, not simply nest, retreat, and perch.
So probe each claim, indulge each doubt, and question,
Considering your sharpest foe’s suggestion.

 

Now, again, let me note Slow Clouds over Rush Hour is highly diverse, featuring everything from sonnets about office work to a cycle of poems about cirrus clouds. Everyone can find something in it to enjoy. I’ll close, then, with a poem that might appeal to anyone, liberal or conservative, who wonders and hopes:

SKY

Sky flows from rain to haze to stars: light pinpricks black
As if we’re seeing God, but only from the back.

Best wishes,

David D. Horowitz

www.rosealleypress.com

(To purchase or order Slow Clouds over Rush Hour contact me at rosealleypress@juno.com or visit Edmonds Bookshop, https://edmondsbookshop.indielite.org, in downtown Edmonds, Washington.)