I am, like everyone else, flawed and forever learning. Much of what you will read was inspired by experiences gathered over the past several years. Some of the proceeding texts were written in moments of pain through bitter tears; other pieces were frantically written after the words in my head woke me from slumber, in the wee hours of the morning, demanding to be expelled onto paper; then there are the moments of extraordinary happiness that I was lucky enough to experience and share. Moments where I bathed in the joy and peace while soaking in every sensation so that I could, at a later date, revisit the memory and saver every detail while I hand chose each word to capture, express and share my experience...I am a work in progress. One battle at a time I am earning my strips; recording my experience�s; sharing my thoughts and ideas; and with my pen in hand, I am expressing my point of view, my way, through my eyes, giving voice to my thoughts, and acknowledging my truth.

"The Art of Confession tells the history of this cultural shift and of the movement it created in American art: confessionalism. Like realism or romanticism, confessionalism began in one art form, but soon pervaded them all: poetry and comedy in the 1950s and '60s, performance art in the '70s, theater in the '80s, television in the '90s, and online video and social media in the 2000s. Everywhere confessionalism went, it stood against autobiography, the art of the closed book. Instead of just publishing, these artists performed--with, around, and against the text of their lives." --

Coffee House Confessions is a collection of poems written in and about coffee houses throughout the world. "I know no one else who manages to combine quantity of poems with quality the way Ellaraine Lockie does. She is a font of creative ideas and brings the ultimate in craft and experience to the realizing of those products of inspiration, observation, and research. I admire her work immensely." GERALD LOCKLIN, Professor Emiritus of English at California State University, Long Beach "This collection deserves a wide audience...once coffee houses were locales for galvanizing live poetry readings, now we can achieve almost the same nirvana by reading this witty book." Christine Pacosz, FutureCycle Press "...a very well done collection of poems... there's something for everyone in this collection. If you love contemporary poetry, you are sure to find some gems here that speak to you. If you don't know if you love contemporary poetry, this might be a good place to start finding out." Marcia Meara, Bookin' It "...a really great read." Jessie Carty, Review Wrap-Up, jessiecarty.com

Being a winner has nothing to do with personal achievements, accomplishments, titles, or some superior status of living. You can have all these things and still be a failure at life-unhappy and unfulfilled. This book inspires the discovery of the created winners we already are. The revelation of biblical scriptures, the enlightening thoughts, and inspiring poetry all promote volumes of encouragement to uplift your thinking. We must realize and awaken ourselves to the truth that true happiness

This is a collection of poems, often set in a small corner of western Kentucky. Each poem explores moments when an individual life becomes implicated in a larger scheme - Cold War politics, the mysteries of religious faith. Winner of the 1994 Juniper Prize.