Chaos Comes to Seattle -- Pulitzer Prize Winning Cartoonist, Teachers and Housewives, Among Many Who Contribute to A Chaos of Angels by Word Walker Press

A jug of juice and thou? When Patty Bradley, proprietor of The Juice Goddess in Seattle’s charming Wallingford District heard about readings being hosted for A Chaos of Angels, she wanted in. Chaos is a collection of 65 poetic voices dispelling the notion that biochemistry compels our every action.

Glendale, CA (PRWEB) September 24, 2006 -- A jug of juice and thou? When Patty Bradley, proprietor of The Juice Goddess in Seattle’s charming Wallingford District heard about the latest release from Word Walker Press she wanted in. It began when contributing poet and Juice Goddess patron Peter Ludwin walked in for his super size serving of Popeye’s Booster, flashing his copy for anyone who happened to be within range. Within minutes the two extra copies Ludwin had on hand were gone; purchased by two thirsty locals. When Bradley heard that the book’s editor, Lois P. Jones was coming to town, the decision was instant. “We must have a reading,” she enthused! And the rest, as they say, will be history.    

The idea for A Chaos of Angels was conceived nearly two years ago when the editors observed the disturbing rate at which family and friends were being prescribed psychotropic drugs. Under the initial title, Pill Blues, editor Jones and co-editor Alice Pero placed a simple ad in Poets & Writers magazine asking poets to send in their works on the subject.

The idea for A Chaos of Angels was conceived nearly two years ago when the editors observed the disturbing rate at which family and friends were being prescribed psychotropic drugs. Under the initial title, Pill Blues, editor Jones and co-editor Alice Pero placed a simple ad in Poets & Writers magazine asking poets to send in their works on the subject.

The response was enthusiastic, culminating in a collection of poems from 65 poets (with contributors from as far as England and Czechoslovakia). Chaos hosts a broad perspective: housewives, doctors, ex-patients, psychoanalysts, professors, mothers—even a contribution from a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist.

Contributing poet Jane Alynn of Anacortes, Washington was one of several writers who flew long distances just to read her works at the book’s premiere in Los Angeles. An excerpt from her poem, “Rx,” makes its subtle point:

“So a nurse named Dot who wants no trouble
heeds the hypocritical oath, and in double time,
fills the script with a pharmaceutical treat-
ment to kill, types the white label that reads
Serene as needed with food at bedtime
and pushes it through the moon-eyed window.”

Not to be drummed down by the beat of protest, there are other tones integrated into the mix, transcendental prose aimed at carrying the reader beyond the physical realms, as in R.G. Cantaloupo’s “Igloo”:

“No day now. No night. The vast turquoise sky not changing
to a black mask pricked with eyes. Out of the flames
gods come, spirits, ghosts bearing visions and old
battles. Out of the white nothing, we create the living
light, the universe of blood, a new world.”

The back of the book contains a healthy list of references where readers can learn more about the many alternative solutions to drug therapy. Next reading: The Juice Goddess, September 30, 2006 at 7:00 p.m., 1903 N 45th St., Seattle, Washington. Call 206-632-1828 for more details.

For information: http://www.wordwalkerpress.com

Contact: Lois P. Jones
Word Walker Press
P.O. Box 11052
Glendale, CA 91226
Phone: 818-242-2953
www.wordwalkerpress.com

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