Until We Learn to Rise | Updated Version | Early Reviews

"I have 'kissed' the love poems; so fine, delicate, but with a deep well beneath the words."

James Frase-White

Early reviews on the updated version of Until We Learn to Rise are good.

"Nice opening with the love poem — both the rhyming and shape on the page. The cute and clever backwards poem is fun and the first two poems set the stage for the variety that follows."

You may not want to miss out on all the fun.

"Lots of fun poems, a potpourri, some flip, some profound, and some about the heartbreak of lost love. Occasionally there's some stretching for rhyme, but it's all in good fun."

The added inducements received special praise.

"(The illustrations) add a wonderful visual dimension as do the various poem shapes on the page (and) the various plays with punctuation."

S. J. Cahill

The e-book is free with Kindle Unlimited, which offers a free introductory membership. 

In-person sales and signed copies can be arranged directly with the author.

Writing the Big Book: The Creation of A.A. by William H. Schaberg Central Recovery Press (November 5, 2019)

Central Recovery Press (November 5, 2019) 800pp

Happy 81st Anniversary!

Best Songwriting Books

1. The Frustrated Songwriter’s Handbook by Karl Coryat and Nicholas Dobson
2. By Pat Pattison:
1. Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling by Andrea Stolpe
2. Writing Better Lyrics
3. Songwriting Without Boundaries: Lyric Writing Exercises for Finding Your Voice
4. Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure: Tools and Techniques for Writing Better Lyrics
5. Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming: A Step-by-Step Guide to Better Rhyming and Lyrics
3. Melody in Songwriting: Tools and Techniques for Writing Hit Songs by Jack Perricone
4. By Jimmy Kachulis:
1. The Songwriter’s Workshop: Melody
2. The Songwriter’s Workshop: Harmony
5. Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting by Jimmy Webb
6. Songwriters On Songwriting by Paul Zollo
7. By Sheila Davis:
1. The Craft of Lyric Writing
2. Successful Lyric Writing: A Step-By-Step Course & Workbook
3. The Songwriters Idea Book: 40 Strategies to Excite Your Imagination, Help You Design Distinctive Songs, and Keep Your Creative Flow
8. Lyrics: Writing Better Words for Your Songs by Rikky Rooksby
9. By Robin Frederick:
1. Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting: 126 Proven Techniques for Writing Songs That Sell
2. Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV: 114 Tips for Writing, Recording, & Pitching in Today’s Hottest Market
10. The Craft & Business of Songwriting by John Braheny
11. Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting by Ralph J. Murph
12. 101 Songwriting Wrongs and How to Right Them: How to Craft and Sell Your Songs by Pete Luboff and Pat Luboff
13. Writing Music For Hit Songs by Jai Josefs
14. How Music Really Works: The Essential Handbook for Songwriters, Performers, and Music Students by Wayne Chase
15. Six Steps to Songwriting Success: The Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Marketing Hit Songs by Jason Blume
16. Songwriters Playground: Innovative Exercises in Creative Songwriting by Barbara L. Jordan
17. Written in My Soul: Conversations With Rock’s Great Songwriters by Bill Flanagan
18. The Poets of Tin Pan Alley: A History of America’s Great Lyricists by Phillip Furia
19. The Blues Line: Blues Lyrics from Leadbelly to Muddy Waters by Eric Sackheim
20. The Complete Singer-Songwriter: A Troubadour’s Guide to Writing, Performing, Recording and Business by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
21. By Paul Edwards
1. How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC
2. How to Rap 2: Advanced Flow and Delivery Techniques
22. The Complete Rhyming Dictionary: Including The Poet’s Craft by Clement Wood
23. Inside Greatness: Ordinary People Break Down How They Do Extraordinary Things by Graham English

"The Man Who Didn't Exist" Now Available at Amazon

Now available on the Amazon Kindle Store is my very first published poetry book (and ebook) "The Man Who Didn't Exist". Offered here, in one enticing package, are fifty nine (59) quatrains on a variety of topics: life, love, lifestyle, place, wheels, logic.

The reason I didn't stuff just one more quatrain in there to bring the total to a more well-rounded total of sixty (60) poems is explained on the very back page of the ebook.

Poems are published in chronological/alphabetical order, from those written in 2001 to those penned in 2014. Each paired with a related image—meant to edify and maintain interest. Each polished over time from repeated readings (some public).

Some of the gems sampled in this soon-to-be-a-classic include:

• "The Albanian Girl Wants Me"
• "A Bronze Statue of Hercules"
• "The Bubble Is Burst"
• "A Certain Razzmatazz"
• "The Homerun Ball"

And that's just from the first year of hits!! To see what else is in store for your poetry-reading—and image-viewing—enjoyment you'll need to click the image in the upper right of this promotional bit.

Why should you buy right now and not wait for the New York Times review? First, because demand might become so great that the Amazon system could shut down. Second, because any quirks or format foibles you find in the first edition might one day be considered desirable by poetry book collectors. Third, the first few printings always come off clearer—or so it used to be, back in the age of inked printings (has there been a change?).

The fact that the author offers a big sloppy kiss on the nose for all buyers of this slim volume might not be considered much of an inducement for some. Nevertheless the offer stands.

Thank you for your consideration. Feel free to return to your normal life—which I assume is still in progress.

Books on Propaganda

• Public Opinion Walter Lippmann (1922)
• Propaganda Edward Bernays (1928)
• The Rape of the Mind: The Psychology of Thought Control, Menticide, and Brainwashing Joost A. M. Meerloo (1956)
• Crowds and Power Elias Canetti (1960)
• Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes Jacques Ellul (1962)

"Courtesy of the New York Times"

"It’s been a good week and a half with wall-to-wall coverage of the book, and yes, this latest unfortunate news courtesy of the New York Times is a chance to get yet more attention and drive readers to Senator Cruz’s book."

Keith Urbahn, book's publicist

"Read My Book"

"I’m asking those people who were in contact with infected people — stay at home for 21 days. We will pay. Enjoy your family. Enjoy your kids. Enjoy your friends. Read a book. Read my book. You don’t have to read my book. But stay at home for 21 days."

Andrew Cuomo, Governor

New York

An Excellent Book About Poetry

I read the seventh edition of this. Excellent, in-depth exploration of the elements that make up good poetry (even chapters on good, bad, better, great poetry). Brilliant poem selections from past greats. Could be the basis of an entire course on poetry--it is set up as a text book with questions, etc.

Five Songwriting Books

1. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (he's a fiction writer, but does this book ever apply to songwriters)
2. The Craft of Lyric Writing by Sheila Davis
3. The Songwriter's Handbook by Tom T. Hall
4. Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting by Jimmy Webb
5. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield (with Stephen King, Jimmy Webb, Tom T. Hall)

SOURCE: SongTownUSA

Watch for the upcoming book . .

Bardgate: Shake-speare and the Royalists Who Stole the Bard by Peter W. Dickson
. . or . .
I, Shakespeare by Alan Green