One of our contributors, Jay Wright of Anderson, has a new poetry collection: Quiet Escapes: Poems for Perspective. A U.S. Naval Air Force veteran, he and his wife, Anne, live on Lake Hartwell. These poems were all written since the Covid19 shutdown in Jay’s search for perspective and renewal in today’s discombobulated post-pandemic world.
In Section 1 (“Long Ago, Far Away”) Jay escapes by reflecting on his roots – the backroads, trains, homes, first car, and life growing up in a small west Georgia mill town.
In Section 2 (“Nature”), he immerses himself in the quiet and beauty of the birds, trees, critters, landscapes, soundscapes, clouds, stars and vivid sunsets that surround Lake Hartwell.
In Section 3 (“Inklings”) Jay turns to the craft of writing itself. He uses more contemporary forms and styles in order to convey imagery, mood, and tone for some poems that help sort things out and some poems that raise more questions.
The final section contains classic mottos that inspire Jay to continue writing and a few poems by local poets that have influenced his works.
Jay is a past president and Executive Committee member of the Foothills Writers Guild in Anderson. He will be greeting readers and signing this newest collection of poems at McDowell’s Emporium, 104 Oak Drive in Anderson on Saturday, March 9th, 1 – 4 p.m. The book is also available at Pendleton Bookstore in Pendleton and Amazon.com.