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    People Matter: Sarasota Portraits & Others
    People Matter: Sarasota Portraits & Others
    People Matter: Sarasota Portraits & Others
    Ebook122 pages1 hour

    People Matter: Sarasota Portraits & Others

    By Len Blanchard

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    About this ebook

    People Matter: Sarasota Portraits & Others is a collection of poems, most of which describe individuals. These descriptions are often presented by an omniscient third-person narrator who is familiar with the subjects history, present circumstances and personal thoughts and feelings. In other instances, however, the poem may be a steam-of-conscious presentation of the subjects thoughts and feelings. For this reason, these poems are called portraits. These portraits, however, describe the psychological and emotional states of the subject characters.
    The first section of the collection presents sixteen poems focused distinctly on types of individual the author observed residing in Sarasota and its northern neighbor Bradenton, Florida. The people described are of various ages, backgrounds and occupations and, together, they suggest at least the outlines of a community. The focus of the second section of 26 poems is more general in nature, presenting figures of historical or cultural significance from ancient to contemporary times such as the Roman emperor Hadrian, the artist Vincent Van Gogh, the English novelist Thomas Hardy and entertainers Rosemary Clooney and Madonna. These portraits are supplemented by poems which consider in a general way human nature and the human condition. The overriding theme of all the poems is the significance of the individual human life. Contemporary Western culture often gives lip service only to the dignity and value of the individual. This collection asserts that, in fact, people matter, that people are more important than money or power.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateAug 14, 2012
    ISBN9781477258866
    People Matter: Sarasota Portraits & Others
    Author

    Len Blanchard

    Len Blanchard holds a B.A. degree in English from Washington and Lee University and a Ph.D. in English from Emory University where he was an NDEA Fellow. Employed for several years as a corporate and business writer in Dallas and Little Rock, he began writing seriously upon his relocation to Florida in 1990. Since 1999, he has taught as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Language and Literature at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. In 2001, Blanchard published through AuthorHouse An American Passion, an epic narrative poem on the life of Crazy Horse, the great war chief of the Oglala Lakota Sioux. He is also the author of hundreds of poems. A few of these poems celebrating the life of the beaches of the Florida coast were published in a collection entitled Provocations of the Birds and the Beach in 2005 by Bellowing Ark Press of Seattle. In 2012, Blanchard published through AuthorHouse a metaphysical drama entitled The First Day: Albert Camus meets Crazy Horse in the Kingdom and another collection of poems, People Matter: Sarasota Portraits and Others. His poems have appeared in numerous national magazines and journals, and he has been nominated on three occasions for a Pushcart Prize. A native of Connecticut, he is now at home in Bradenton, Florida.

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      Book preview

      People Matter - Len Blanchard

      © 2012 by Len Blanchard. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      Published by AuthorHouse 08/09/2012

      ISBN: 978-1-4772-5888-0 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4772-5887-3 (hc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4772-5886-6 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2012914538

      Although this manuscript is poetry, not fiction or non-fiction, the poems are portraits or biographies. A few of these biographies whether intentionally or unintentionally may resemble actual individuals. A statement to the effect that all the people described in Sarasota Portraits are products of the poet’s imagination and any resemblance to actual individuals is coincidental may be wise, therefore.

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      Len Blanchard is the author of four books. These include An American Passion, an epic poem on the life and killing of Crazy Horse, the great war chief of the Oglala Lakota Sioux which he published through AuthorHouse in 2001. A collection of poems celebrating the marine life of the Florida coast and entitled Provocations of the Birds and the Beach was published by Bellowing Ark Press of Seattle in 2005. Besides this current collection of poems, People Matter: Sarasota Portraits & Others, he has also published through AuthorHouse in 2012 a play entitled The First Day: Albert Camus Meets Crazy Horse in the Kingdom. Since 1991, he has published more than two-hundred poems in literary magazines nationwide. Among the magazines and journals in which his work has appeared are The Greensboro Review, Whetstone, South Carolina Review, Reed, Gulf Coast, Spillway and Roanoke Review. He has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize on three occasions. A native of Connecticut, he now resides in Bradenton, Florida. He holds a B.A. degree in English from Washington and Lee University and a Ph.D. in English from Emory University. Employed for several years as a corporate and business writer in Dallas and Little Rock, he began writing seriously upon his relocation to Florida in 1990. Since 1999, he has taught as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Language and Literature at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota.

      ABOUT THE ARTIST

      Judy Just is a painter, printmaker and book artist. She holds a B.F.A. degree from Washington University and has studied in Greece and Mexico. Her work is noted for its color and energy, and she has exhibited in Europe, New York, Florida and New Mexico. She has won numerous awards and is in public and private collections. Having recently returned to Sarasota, Florida after more than fifteen years living and teaching in Santa Fe, she is enjoying the beach, biking, cooking and life with her two rescue cats, Leo and Baby Girl. The abundant flora and fauna of Florida will be informing her future work. Even as she remodels her 1950s vintage house, Judy is looking forward to teaching printmaking and bookarts in Sarasota. This is the third book by Len Blanchard she has illustrated. Her work may be viewed on the Web at judyjust.com.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      Several poems in this collection have been previously published in various literary magazines and journals as noted below. I extend my gratitude to the editors of these publications for their past support and encouragement.

      In Bellowing Ark, Young Love, An Evening to Remember, Victory Gardens, The Perfect Color, and Not Unlike a Bird’s Twittering.

      In Habersham Review, Southern Philanthropy and The Bishop Writes to Thomas Hardy.

      In Gulf Coast, A Toast to Thomas Hardy.

      In The Lucid Stone, Victim of Victims.

      In Outerbridge, Video Madonna.

      In Harp-Strings Poetry Journal, Snowblindness.

      In The Neovictorian/Cochlea, Face in the Crowd.

      I also wish to express my appreciation to Judy Just for her diligence and patience in becoming familiar with the poems in this collection. The interior illustrations accompanying various poems are Judy’s work and manifest vividly her skill and talent.

      L.B.

      CONTENTS

      SARASOTA PORTRAITS

      Flights of Fancy

      Liberated Woman

      A Broker’s World

      Euphoria of a Champion

      The Collector

      College Dreaming

      The Perfect Color

      The Disciple

      Face in the Crowd

      Firecracker

      Her Kingdom Come

      A Community Pillar’s Celebration

      Her Community Service

      A Virtuous Life

      Beach Bum

      Young Love

      MORE PORTRAITS, WITH COMMENTARY

      Whaling

      Definitions of Love

      Quest for Water

      Music Lessons

      An Evening to Remember

      Victory Gardens

      Another Garden

      Urban Pastoral

      Dark Smiles

      Video Madonna

      Victim of Victims

      Snowblindness

      Southern Philanthropy

      Not Unlike a Bird’s Twittering

      The Artist’s Fate

      The Hula Dancer’s Explanation

      The Death of Antinous

      In Moonglow

      Hadrian, the Artist

      The Bishop Writes to

      Thomas Hardy

      Mythical Delusions

      A Flamenco Dancer’s Happiness

      In Praise of Mystery

      Brave Old World of a Navajo Brave

      Versions of Salvation

      A Toast to Thomas Hardy

      SKU-000578866_TEXT.pdf

      SARASOTA

      PORTRAITS

      SKU-000578866_TEXT.pdf

      Flights of Fancy

      SKU-000578866_TEXT.pdf

      She thinks she is too highly developed

      spiritually to care. This is what it is

      distinguishes her from her sister, what has

      always set her apart, made her different,

      special. She recalls how Heidi used to struggle

      to bring home a report card which would make

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