The winners of Aquillrelle's first Publishing Contest are all included in this book. Oh, the beauty of this child birthed by the marriage of professional and aspiring voices, each voice limited in its expression by nothing but personal talent, avidity of word and poetry of heart.

Anna Wickham's life is characterized by the turbulent, burgeoning feminism of the early 20th century. A woman whose incisive mind and inquisitive nature sent her husband into jealous rages, she was forcibly committed to a mental hospital at the age of 30. Upon her release, she began a life-long quest for happiness, exhibited first and foremost through her poetry. Anna Wickham became a widely acclaimed writer whose life, at times immersed in scandal, is a story of success and sadness. Eventually leaving her husband and four sons to live in Paris's left bank, she became a confidante of D.H. Lawrence, the long-time lover of millionairess Natalie Clifford Barney, and a strong-willed literary icon, rumored to have once thrown Dylan Thomas into a snowstorm. Despite her fame and achievement, Wickham's struggles with depression and anxiety would eventually lead to her untimely death.

The Encuentro isn't just another novel. A fairy tale in novel form- told as a farce, presented like a play, and executed like a movie, it is indeed "novel" in every way. It is very much as advertised: "A Risque Fairy Tale For Contemporary Adults"- very mature adults. It is also Kennedy as his innovated best- "pulling out all the stops," and turning the medium on its head to make a gut-busting spoof that turns out not to be such a "spoof" after all. So, while the subject matter is bawdy, the humor outrageous and the wit nonpareil, it is, to be sure, a deeply profound exposition of the nature and meaning of life at the end of the day. It is, as he has stated, "probably (my) best symphony yet," and destined to be an instant classic. Where else will you find a novel's author portraying himself in his own book as a "movie director?" The end is simply jarring, stunning, completely unexpected. The Encuentro is a must read."

What do you get when you take a failed novelist, a capricious "alien," a world renowned- but debauched evangelist, an alcoholic estate manager and mix them together with a half dozen other eccentric characters? What you get is distinctly different cocktail called THE PROFIT that you won't be able to order at a bar anywhere. The plot is a riddle in an enigma that is so well-woven and imaginative it's almost too simple to understand. The content is mature, intended for adults who are discerning readers who enjoy fine, avant-garde literature and bristling social satire, particularly about evangelists and their followers, and should be appreciated by atheists, agnostics and the devoutly religious alike who have open minds. The reader is sure to be as "captivated" as it the Writerman in the book in this most exquisite of his offerings.

The authorized and sweeping biography of one of America’s most complex, influential, and enduring poets In the extraordinary generation of American poets who came of age in the middle of the twentieth century, James Wright (1927–1980) was frequently placed at the top of the list. With a fierce, single-minded devotion to his work, Wright escaped the steel town of his Depression-era childhood in the Ohio valley to become a revered professor of English literature and a Pulitzer Prize winner. But his hometown remained at the heart of his work, and he courted a rough, enduring muse from his vivid memories of the Midwest. A full-throated lyricism and classical poise became his tools, honesty and unwavering compassion his trademark. Using meticulous research, hundreds of interviews, and Wright’s public readings, Jonathan Blunk’s authorized biography explores the poet’s life and work with exceptional candor, making full use of Wright’s extensive unpublished work—letters, poems, translations, and personal journals. Focusing on the tensions that forced Wright’s poetic breakthroughs and the relationships that plunged him to emotional depths, Blunk provides a spirited portrait, and a fascinating depiction of this turbulent period in American letters. A gifted translator and mesmerizing reader, Wright appears throughout in all his complex and eloquent urgency. Discerning yet expansive, James Wright will change the way the poet’s work is understood and inspire a new appreciation for his enduring achievement.