The Poem Factory

Musical Chairs

by Jen Knox

 Muscial Chairs explores one family's history of mental health diagnoses and searches to define the cusp between a '90s working-class childhood and the trouble of adapting to a comfortable life in the suburbs. In order to understand her restlessness, Jennifer reflects on years of strip-dancing, alcoholism, and estrangement. Inspired by the least likely source, the family she left behind, Jennifer struggles towards reconciliation. This story is about identity, class, family ties, and the elusive nature of mental illness.

Excerpt

(Prologue)

Throughout the summer of 2003 I repeatedly underwent what psychologists have since diagnosed as post-traumatic stress and panic disorder.  A spiritually-inclined friend refers to the same summer as my rebirthing period.  Still others, who claim to have had similar experiences, tell me that such episodes were probably a warning, my body’s way of telling me to adopt healthier eating habits, exercise more or quit smoking.  At the time, all I knew was that the onset was swift.

                                      Review: Alvah’s Book Reviews (to read the entire review, go to

http://www.alvahsbooks.com/book-reviews/musical-chairs-jen-knox/

“[Musical Chairs is] well-written, which means Jen Knox knows how to string words together into comprehensible sentences.  And her ‘voice’ is honest, unapologetic and – vital! – likeable.  In other words, she’s like the Apostle Peter in the Bible.  She’s a weak, frail, vulnerable human being, who makes lots of mistakes.  Which means – thank God – that she is human.  Which means that despite all her flaws and failures, she is not a fraud or a charlatan.  She’s not pretending to be someone who has their ‘shit’ together. 

Jen and most of her family are gloriously dysfunctional – just like most families.  And they have a tendency toward mental illness.  And – shockingly – she talks about it.  Which is what makes her story and her book so wonderful.  It’s downright refreshing to read a book that acknowledges what most people know is true, but are afraid to confess:  Most people are one brick short of a load.  Which is what makes them and life so interesting.”

To watch the Musical Chairs Trailer, go to Knoxworx Multimedia.

To purchase Musical Chairs, go to Amazon, ATTM Press, or Barnes & Noble.

For more information about Jen, go to www.jenknox.com or http://jenknox.blogspot.com/

For more information about ATTMP, go to http://www.allthingsthatmatterpress.com/ or http://allthingsthatmatterpress.blogspot.com/

Motherless Soul

by Steve Lindahl



Motherless Soul is the story of Emily Vinson, a woman whose entire life was impacted by the loss of her mother when she was 2 years old. At 82 Emily contacts a hypnotist hoping to draw out hidden memories and to discover as much as possible about the short time she spent with the woman who gave her life. Glen Wiley, the hypnotist, teaches her more about herself than she had expected. He helps her bring out memories of many past lives, including an experience that took place on a smoke filled battlefield. All of Emily's lives have had the same tragic outcome, the loss of her mother at a young age. Her soul is caught in what Glen calls circularity, meaning that the tragedy will occur again and again unless she can break the pattern. She and Glen must revisit her past lives and use what they learn to find the other souls who are part of the circle. They must use the past to change the future. Emily's stubborn desire to know her mother is realized in intricate and unsettling ways no one could have imagined possible.

Excerpt (from Chapter Four)

Glen asked her to count backwards from one hundred. When she passed fifty-nine he started to guide her saying, “Go back, back further to a time before you were Emily Vinson. Keep going back.” His words seemed to run right through her body, like a shot of whiskey. Glen seemed to be growing distant, although she knew he was right next to her. She kept counting toward zero, even as he spoke.

Emily lost track of the counting. She was certain she’d repeated some numbers, but she tried to keep them coming. She knew she had to do what Glen told her to do. She closed her eyes. Shortly after that the dim light she could make out through her lids faded into absolute darkness.

“You’re slipping through time and space into a place that’s been buried in your heart for ages upon ages. Something important happened to you in this place. You’re starting to remember what it was like: the smells, the sounds, the texture of the world around you.”

Her eyes started to burn. Memories were flowing into her head after a period of nothingness and those sensations were different from what she’d experienced the day before. This time it was as if she were two people. The person she had been before the session began, the old woman nearing the end of her life, was now watching someone else from inside that other person’s body. The other person was very young, but in trouble.

“Talk to me, Emily. Let me know what you’re feeling.”

Emily started to cry. She wasn’t able to hold back. Her cry was the loud wail of a hungry baby. But Emily knew what she felt wasn’t only hunger. Something was very wrong.

                                                                          Review: Jen Knox (Author of Musical Chairs)

This is a profound work about the cyclic nature of pain and one woman's desire to confront it and move on. The story begins with Emily's search to demystify the mother she never knew, the figure whom she believes to hold the secret that will break a cycle of discontent. Where this leads her is on a journey of self-discovery that begins with a trip to a hypnotist and introduces Emily to generations past. Emily's journey is filled with realizations that grow exponentially, and ultimately lead to a philosophical and spiritual awakening. This book is phenomenal. The chapters are short and engaging, and the writing is fantastic.

For more information about Steve Lindahl go to

http://www.stevelindahl.blogspot.com/

http://www.stevelindahl.com/

To purchase Motherless Soul go to Amazon, All Things That Matter Press or

Barnes and Noble

                        Writing 164 stories, each one under 1,000 words,

                        was one of my most challenging projects.

I told myself from the start that I would vary the stories, give readers a little taste of humor, horror, love, loss, crime, science fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, alternate history, and even updated nursery rhymes!  I would include in my new book the very best of my writings.

Flashing My Shorts was the result of my efforts!  And it is available now directly from the publisher at                           http://tinyurl.com/ydgqf3z    

or from Amazon.com at       http://tinyurl.com/y9g2gu3  

Customer reviews have been very complimentary. Here is just one of them.  Go to the Amazon link above to read the rest!

These Stories Are Short, But They Pack A Punch

Salvatore Buttaci masters the short form in his new collection Flashing My Shorts. The stories here are spare but powerful, and each is injected with Buttaci's quick wit, sharp insight, and the sort of emotional depth that causes a reader to pause, for just a moment, before reading on, wanting more.

Buttaci has a delicate touch with his pen and he's fantastic at telling stories, stories with wide range and the commonality of insight, humor and strong resolution. Buy the book for yourself, buy a copy for a friend and get ready to enjoy what a strong short story collection can offer: utter entertainment in bite-sized bits. I like to think of these stories the way I think of those portion-controlled, pre-packaged desserts: when I'm done with one, why not another?                                                            (J.L. Knox, Musical Chairs)

Here is one of the stories from my book.  It's called "Encounter."

    Years of hard drinking had driven him to seed.  He slept under cardboard  on the coldest New York City nights, and his days were taken up begging for spare change.  

    One morning a passerby stopped to look at him.  He turned his unshaven, toothless face away.  But the woman continued staring.  “Is your name Thomas?” she asked.  He shook his head.  “Thomas Cole?” she persisted.  Again he gestured no.  He could see the tears wetting the woman’s face.  She could not see his.

    Leaning against the streetlight, he watched his daughter lose herself in the rush hour of pedestrian traffic.  

IF YOU HAVE NOT ORDERED A COPY OF MY BOOK, NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO DO SO!

  from the publisher at                           http://tinyurl.com/ydgqf3z 

or from Amazon.com at                        http://tinyurl.com/y9g2gu3 

Thank you!

Salvatore Buttaci

                THE POEM FACTORY

                      Invites you to submit poems

                                           for

                               The Winter Issue

GUIDELINES

Submit in a regular e-mail 1-3 unpublished poems,

each one a maximum of 24 lines per poem

Include a title with each poem

In the subject line of your e-mail

type SUBMISSION followed by your name

Include a very brief bio no longer than three lines

Deadline: December 10, 2009

e-mail to sambpoet@yahoo.com

Do not send poems in an attachment

Allow one month for consideration

I am looking forward to reading your submissions.

Salvatore Buttaci, Editor of The Poem Factory

I know what you're thinking: another book of love poems!  They were my thoughts too; for so many years I refused to compile a book of love poems for fear of rejection.  The public has had it up to here with poets who have this driving need to advertise their love to the world at large. So what made me change my mind?

In 1998 I wrote a book of love poems called Promising the Moon, which sold out that same year.  I enjoyed writing that collection and then promoting it via newspaper stories, cable TV interviews, and countless poetry readings where I was either the featured poet or the poet who read in the open reading at the end.  People enjoyed hearing the few sample poems I read and lined up to order a copy.

This year I decided to try my luck again with A Dusting of Star Fall: Love Poems.  [published by Cyber-Wit Publications in India; $15.00 plus handling and shipping]

What makes this book my favorite of all the nine books I've written is the delightful fact that all of the over 100 poems in this collection were written for, to, and about my loving wife Sharon.  For ten years I had been writing her love poems on various occasions like birthdays, Valentine's Day, Christmas, Easter, and our October 26 Anniversary.  Finally I asked her one day if she would not mind if I took the best of those hundreds of poems and include them in a book.  She said she'd be honored if I did.

Folks who have ordered a copy of A Dusting of Star Fall... tell me it's the first book of love poems they enjoy reading over and over again.  Does that make me happy?  You bet it does!

If you'd like to order a copy of your own, send a check for $15.00 plus $3.00 for handling and shipping, made out to Sal Buttaci, and addressed to

Sal Buttaci

709 Straley Avenue, Apt. 4

Princeton, WV 24740

Yes, it's another book of love poems, but I think it's one you'll love.