"Priestdaddy" by Patricia Lockwood

     

   I know some authors who write memoirs. In my opinion, it's a tricky genre unless the author is gifted, because unless the reader has some connection to the author's experience, the reader may not get too far into the text.

   That is not the problem here. I explain a little about that in my Amazon review, which follows my remarks. I wonder what my son would write about growing up in a Lutheran parsonage/family home.

   The concept of simul iustus et peccator- being both saint and sinner- permeates the memoir even if Lockwood does not use the term herself. Her father by all appearances is a dedicated priest but spends money on things like electric guitars instead of his daughters' college educations. Her mother obsesses and rants about all sorts of things yet will move heaven and earth to help her children no matter what.

    At times Lockwood's writing made me laugh out loud, and at times I shook my head in sadness. Several sections, especially about the charismatic teenagers' group she attended, were riveting. Her character descriptions made me feel that I knew them.

 Full disclosure from the outset:  I am a Lutheran pastor who was in the same denomination as Fr. Lockwood. He swam the Tiber; I swam the Mississippi (i.e. he converted to Roman Catholicism, I went to another branch of Lutheranism.) I know St. Louis well, so the author's descriptions of life in and around that city resonated with me. In addition, I know and know of colleagues who have swum the Tiber. Most of them did not have families.

Lockwood paints a realistic picture of her upbringing, especially of family life. She does not hesitate to depict the negative sides, which in time led to her abandoning religion. However, her love for her family is quite evident, even when they disagree and lack understanding of their actions, especially her life decisions.

Those looking for a scandal within the family will be disappointed. Lockwood mentioned scandals involving others. Her writing is sharp, often funny, and pulls no punches. Most of all, it is honest and engages the reader.

---

Lately, I notice more hits than usual on the blog. That's wonderful! some are bots, but not everyone. How about leaving a comment? some do, and I welcome others to do so! Thanks.

---

My books:

https://www.amazon.com/Books-Arthur-Turfa/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AArthur+Turfa

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

Why I Will Never Be South Carolina's Poet Laureate- But It's Fine

https://www.facebook.com/aturfa/videos/2271188909920055 

     South Carolina has not had a Poet Laureate since 2017, when Governor Henry McMaster took office. Marjory Wentworth was the Poet Laureate under Governor Mikki Haley. 

     My friend and fellow poet, Dr. Len Lawson of Newberry College, organized yesterday's SC Read-A-Thon for SC Poet Laureate. A good number of fellow peers and friends read for half an hour, making sure that we explained why we were reading.

     I likely was not the only reader to say that our participation took us out of the running for the office, if indeed there was a running in the first place. That is perfectly fine. More important is that a Poet Laureate be selected; there are many fine poets here. The triumphs and tragedies, the joys and sorrows of the Palmetto State need to be expressed in poetic form.

    This is not a partisan appointment. In my opinion (I will speak here only for myself) the Poet Laureate should create poetry to describe, reflect, and while pointing out an issue, should not advocate a particular policy.

     For example, if a poem laments the under-funded schools in the infamous Corridor of Shame, there should be no bashing of people or specific proposals on how to rectify the situation. I believe that a poet can highlight a certain issue, and I also believe that no one in their right mind would want a child to attend a school that was in poor condition and using inadequate materials. Exactly how that situation is improved is up to the politicians and the community as a whole.

     We had a successful event yesterday, and the feeling is that it will not be the last one. Previously there was a petition and a public gathering. There is some momentum, and all I can say is stay tuned!

     That's me reading at an earlier event.

     My books:

     https://www.amazon.com/Books-Arthur-Turfa/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AArthur+Turfa

     https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

"Point Counter Point" and other Thoughts About Aldous Huxley

 

     In earlier posts, I mentioned how my 12th-grade English teacher gave me free rein in the library. That was a life-changing time, but here I want to talk about one of the novels I read. It is Huxley's longest one and not his best-known. There was a BBC adaptation, which I believe I saw on PBS.

     What stood out to me was the interweaving of various storylines. That of course was not unique to Huxley or anything else that I had read previously. How the characters reacted to each other, and that most of them were based on people I had some idea about caught my attention.

     The focus here is on Everard Webley, a British Fascist based on Oswald Mosley. Webley is wealthy, intelligent, pompous, and a bully. His movement has thousands of recruits who hang on his every word when he holds forth either in print or public speeches.

     When I read this novel over 50 years ago, Fascism as a political movement was discredited. The term "fascist" was thrown around, I did so myself, rather loosely and without reason. 

     That has changed, sadly. Unsettled times cause people to seek comfort from an imagined past where things were better and to find companionship with those of their own kind. The term is used proudly by some, and more than one nation has officially succumbed to right-wing extremism (which is equally as bad as left-wing extremism). 

     Huxley does not offer a way out; he depicts a confused world. One of his characters, an artist based on D.H. Lawrence, comes the closest to suggesting something. For that, you will have to read the book.

--------

Links to my books!  In time for holiday shopping!

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arthur-Turfa/author/B00YJ9LNOA?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

    

In Memoriam: the Rt. Rev. Bishop Paul Marshall

https://livingchurch.org/news/news-episcopal-church/bishop-paul-marshall-1947-2024/ 

  

     In my life, I have few regrets and do not dwell much on them. From time to time I admit to reflecting on what might have been when reminded of something.,

     Last week I learned about the passing of the first bishop of the Episcopal Church (REC) who licensed this Luthern pastor to serve as a priest in a diocese. 

    In 2002 I was bi-vocational and rostered in the Slovak Zion Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We had elected Pastor Wilma Kucharek as bishop, and Bishop Paul participated in her installation, thanks to our ecumenical partnership. 

     I had known Bishop Wilma before her election and had heard of Bishop Paul. We had all been in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, they far longer than me. After the service ended I introduced myself to Bishop Paul and said I would like to pay him a visit; he readily agreed. 

    At that meeting, he told me I would be licensed to serve as a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem  (PA). My family lived about 75 miles away from Bethlehem and since there was not anything for me to do right then I was encouraged to check with the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania; Bishop Paul's name opened some doors there due to the high regard people had for him. I was about to sign a contract to be an interim rector when the Arm,y deployed me to Germany in early 2004.

     Bishop Paul asked me to read the galleys of his biography of Samuel Seabury, the first American Episcopal bishop. I was pleased to do so.

     As things turned out, Bishop Paul and I did not have much contact afterward. My family and I moved to South Carolina (they first, then I came when my deployment ended. I followed what he was doing, and was thankful for how he helped me. I have been licensed in the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina and have enjoyed the extension to my ministry. 

     In the fullness of time, we shall meet again and I will thank him in person.

    

---

Links to my books:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arthur-Turfa/author/B00YJ9LNOA?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

Artocalypse Hat Challenge- Autumn Leaves from Michael Scott long

 Here it is!  

Where I Can't Physically Go- Artocalypse Challenge

      Heather Houston gave me the challenge. Here is my response. I thank her and everyone else in the group for the opportunity.

https://heatherandbone.com/blog/

     I cannot physically go to see the Titanic. Maybe I could go in a submarine for a short ride. My cousin Sam spent his 22-year naval career in the Silent Service, and I knew a few other people who served there as well. I salute them; my preference was for the Army. I figured I could find my way back to safety on land, or at the very least stay put until I was found.

    The Titan submersible implosion of June 2023 did not surprise me at all. I am sorry for the loss of life, especially for the teenager. One could say the entire project was doomed from the start. But all that is beside the point here.

    I simply would not like being underwater in such cramped conditions. No amount of money would change my mind. All I would think about is what would happen if something went wrong. I would be a nervous wreck before, during, and afterward.

    I do have some family connection to the Titanic itself. My great-grandfather immigrated to the US from Austria-Hungary (he was Hungarian) with his family in 1902, and made several trips back for business reasons. It is said he missed the Titanic and threw a multi-lingual fit. 

    If someone tried to pressure me to go look at the wreck, I also would throw a multi-lingual fit. Great-grandfather would be proud.

     

    Links to my books: poetry, a novel, and short story collection:

https://www.amazon.com/Books-Arthur-Turfa/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AArthur+Turfa

     

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

The Humanities Under Siege at Some Universities

     The recent elimination or drastically reducing of majors, minors, and courses in the Humanities is not only distressing. In an attempt to save money or to offer only what is deemed useful, much is lost. Not everything in life is cut-and-dried or black-and-white. Studying the Humanities leads to critical thinking,l the ability to see gray areas, and can actually lead to new ways of thinking and new solutions.

     Full Disclosure: My doctorate is in Humanities from Drew University. (emphasis on History and Religion). I have Master's in German, Divinity, and History (From UC-Irvine, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and Binghamton University), and a Bachelor's in German (from Penn State). Since I was bi-vocational, I needed degrees; they have paid for themselves many times over. 

     A neighbor of mine near Philadelphia taught Business at a major university in the city. His house was next to a path to the woods where I often walked, and I saw him often during my high school and undergraduate years. He and his family were nice people.

     Before I graduated from high school he would ask what I wanted to study. At that time I thought I would go into law school, so I imagined something like Political Science or History. When an undergraduate I was a German major. Each time he politely told me to study Business. We had polite and friendly discussions, but he was insistent.

     I tried everything could to convince him Business was not for me. My math skills were not good, I had no interest, and doubted I could do well.  He was having none of it.

     My adviser at Penn State once said to us that we did not have to justify studying beautiful things. That stuck with me. I did well in what I studied and sought to pass on an appreciation for beautiful things, whatever they might be.

     Certainly, academic departments and catalogs have to be adjusted, even changed. I wish there had been a German Business track, or one for governmental studies when I was at Penn State. I would even have cut my hair somewhat! 

     But to drastically cut or even eliminate things? If I were a high school graduate now, I would likely have to settle for a teacher certification curriculum. But even those are being cut at UConn! And some of my veteran teacher friends agree with me that the content component of teacher training programs is not what it used to be.

    Anyway, I am glad I went through the system when I did, and only hope that things sort themselves out. In the next decade or two there will be a cry of "We need to train people to think critically!"  May it happen soon!

   Below are links to two situations that illustrate the concern addressed here:

         

https://www.ctinsider.com/news/education/article/uconn-major-cuts-low-enrollment-evaluation-process-19845973.php

https://westvirginiawatch.com/2023/12/15/flagship-public-universities-likely-to-cut-more-humanities-staff-especially-in-rural-states/

Finding Peace in Dresden

 

     As 2005 began, I knew my deployment to Würzburg, Germany, would likely end in a few months. I would be able to return to my family in our new home in South Carolina; they had moved soon after my deployment began. However, I knew I would need to seek employment.

    I was a bi-vocational Lutheran pastor, teaching high school for my primary employment. My concern was whether or not I would be able to look for a position in the spring or early summer. While I could do some things online and my wife did what she could for me, there were a lot of unanswered questions.

     In January I figured I could take one last trip with my BahnCard 50. Without waiting a week to book a train with a 50% discount, I could go on the spur of the moment. I made a quick trip to Dresden, deciding against Leipzig. It was a difficult choice but I think the right one.

    "Florence on the Elbe" the Saxon capital was called. It suffered a horrific bombing in 1945 weeks before the war ended in Europe; Kurt Vonnegut was a POW working underground and survived to write Slaughterhouse Five and much more. The city was gradually rebuilt with the restoration of previous buildings alongside newer neo-Stalinist buildings.

     I saw the Zwinger, the Albertinum art gallery walked around and rode the S-Bahn, went to the exhibit in the basement of the Frauenkirche, finally being rebuilt, and even saw a movie. One afternoon I saw an Orthodox church and went in. 

    St. Simeon of the Wonderful Mountian was built in the 1870s. I admired the icons and the rest of the architecture, and saw an icon of St. Irene (her name means peace in Greek). Peace is what I needed right then. I lit a candle, said a prayer, and bought an icon pictured above. When I left I felt that everything would work out, that all would be well, all manner of things would be well, as Julian of Norwich reminded us. 

     My unit redeployed in early April 2005. On April 15 I came to my new home to stay. by the end of that month, I had several interviews and a job offer.  Peace had come to me. 

    A friend and colleague recently was in Dresden, and I thought back on my brief time there.

         

Links to my books:

https://www.amazon.com/Books-Arthur-Turfa/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AArthur+Turfa

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

Deletion- For Artocalypse Blog Carnival

 https://aspenwrites.blogspot.com/2024/09/introduction-to-october-blog-carnival.html

   This is my entry for the Deletion 2024 Artocalypse Blog Carnival.

    For me, it is not so much about deletion as revision. If I handwrite a poem, I revise it when I actually type it. Maybe my meter is wrong, or I find a better word. Same thing if I type it; my handwriting is not the best.

    I really distrust any artist in any genre who thinks the first draft/attempt is the best. It might happen sometimes, but to me, it reminds me of students who say "This is how I write poems." I want to say, "This is how you think you write poems." 

   

Kris Kristofferson, RIP

 

     Not only a singer-songwriter (actually that should be reversed), but he was also an actor, activist, and musical pioneer as a Country Outlaw. In addition to impressive music, his songs contained outstanding, poetic lyrics, a rare combination.

     His life had glaring opposites. Born into a military family, he became an Army helicopter pilot after being a Rhodes scholar at Oxford but wished to be a novelist. When he turned down an opportunity to teach English at West Point and left the Army, his family strongly disapproved. 

     Heading to Nashville, he wrote songs and worked as a janirot for Columbia Records, being in the studio as Dylan recorded Blonde on Blonde.

     One can read the rest of his biography in many other places. Here I want to highlight Kristofferson's literary background and the importance of reading no matter what someone does in life. Obviously, he was uniquely gifted in more than one form of art. Most of us are not; we are fortunate to have ability in one form.

   His love of literature served as a springboard for the rest of his life. I cannot stress the importance of reading good things when one is young. It saddens me to see English curricula that spurn the Classics (and not all are worth reading, but only a few) and introduce things that are "easier" to read but will not stand the test of time.

    Who out there will rise to be like Kristofferson and J.D. Souther, the subject of a reason blog post?

-----

Links to my books:

https://www.amazon.com/Books-Arthur-Turfa/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AArthur+Turfa

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

     

     

The Boss Turned 75- Happy Belated Birthday, Bruce Springsteen

     N

                           . .ɓ  . B  

 

     With Helene paying the Southeastern US a visit, there has  been a lot going on. Belated 75 75th birthday to Bruce!

     In 1975 I started at UC-Irvine as a teaching assistant in German. My life had improved, mainly because of a regular paycheck, but also because I began my teaching career. Living 3,000 or so my my Pennsylvania home, I was getting used to California, but still missing some things from my past.

    Whatever the Los Angeles radio station it was escapes me. I remember the DJ introducing a new song by someone from New Jersey. I snickered. "I bet this will be good." 

     Two minutes into "Born to Run" I was hooked. Next payday, I went to the record store that was next to my bank and bought the album. About 25 years ago my wife gave me tickets to the E Street Band tour in Madison Square Garden- 14th row even!

     When I taught, every 9/11 I would play his "Into the Fire" regardless of whether I taught German, English, or Mythology. We discussed the song and its meaning, along with its application to our lives.

     Bruce revitalized Rock and Roll in the 1970s so overwhelmed by Disco (do not get me started). Over the years he has morphed into an electric Woody Guthrie, advocating for freedom from hunger and for democracy. Musically, he has also expanded his horizons. Or better put,  dne some things he always wanted to do. 

    Bruce is still touring! And that is good news.

---

Links to my books:

https://www.amazon.com/Books-Arthur-Turfa/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AArthur+Turfa

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

     

Healthy Growth Cycles- Artocalypse Carnival Blog

 

https://heatherandbone.com/artocalypse-blog-carnival-september-2024-healthy-growth-cycles/

 My entry for the September 2024 Artocalypse Blog Carnival.

    During the pandemic, I was asked to join the Artocalypse. It is a very creative group, and I am learning the ropes about a Carnival Blog.

    To this month's topic: Healthy Growth Cycles. My contribution to the topic concerns how some of my poems are written

    Wordsworth said that poetry is "emotion reflected in tranquility". Emotions of course run the entire range from ecstasy to rage. I'm focusing on the latter. Years ago I observed something at a faculty meeting that disgusted me. It was watching the "in crowd" celebrate one of their own for some achievement. Instead of saying anything, I wrote a poem about it, which eventually became my first book.

    Healthy? For sure! I did not say what was on my mind then, and I channeled it into a creative peace.  Wordsworth would be proud. 

 That's the book!

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arthur-Turfa/author/B00YJ9LNOA?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

J.D. Souther, RIP Singer-songwriter

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/jd-souther-best-songs-eagles-linda-ronstadt-1235105243/don-henley-the-heart-of-the-matter-1989-1235105467/

     John David Souther may not be known to most music fans, but the songs he wrote or collaborated in writing are familiar. The above link has a dozen of the most familiar. If some musicologist has not written a book or dissertation on LA singer-songwriters, when it happens Souther will play a prominent role, along with Jackson Browne, various members of the Eagles, and others.

    If my guitar playing had reached a much higher level than it did, I would have loved to have written songs. My singing voice would only have worked for a very few of them, but I would have loved to have written the words and music. Actually, I am fine being a poet-writer. 

     Souther was invited to join the Eagles but decided the band was excellent as it was. His peers respected his talent, and he constantly worked. I suspect he realized that his true talent was in composition, not being a rock star. Later on, he had some acting roles as well, such as in the TV series Nashville. 

   Another musical giant has left the house, but the music remains. Enjot!

   

   

"Saluda Reflections" from Finishing Line Press My Most Recent Poetry Book

 https://www.amazon.com/Saluda-Reflections-Arthur-Turfa/dp/1635345480?ref_=ast_author_dp&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jHfdZLygoGH7FjDYvN8-Z81mTS7zeZ--qe54HGMkhxq17oGcB617pl2JF8MoTPzTkx6ad73LhWeV4_qNaRmLUTrZWkCc2c8JvwwezkoGEjtSvDhQ9htGMlvWbpDXSZ6B.2U2Jasn2H7NhioixZDkJVeyVIJ06jR4-NcabV3Xppi0&dib_tag=AUTHOR

     In this one, I talk about some things going on in the world today. At the time we lived in Saluda County, South Carolina, on a lovely 2-acre wooded lot off the beaten path.

      By far is is the best-received poem from the book:

      One Morning You Will Decide

 

One morning you will decide

that this is the day to escape:

 

time to load the car, leave

the madness and mayhem.

 

Soon we will drive along

mesas, snow-capped mountains,

 

along the Natchez Trace

and the Appalachian chain.

 

Maybe we will leave the car

at the airport and fly to

 

that city on a cliff in Spain

you saw online or Vienna

 

where I will lure you to Sopron

and show you the family homestead.

 

Tell me when, my love and I will

get the bags from upstairs.

Arthur Turfa, ©2018 Finishing Line Press

My novel:

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

My other poetry books and short story collection:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arthur-Turfa/author/B00YJ9LNOA?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

    

"Gemini" My Metaphysical Poetry Book from Broad River Books

 https://www.amazon.com/Gemini-Arthur-Turfa/dp/1942081170?ref_=ast_author_dp&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jHfdZLygoGH7FjDYvN8-Z81mTS7zeZ--qe54HGMkhxq17oGcB617pl2JF8MoTPzTkx6ad73LhWeV4_qNaRmLUTrZWkCc2c8JvwwezkoGEjtSvDhQ9htGMlvWbpDXSZ6B.2U2Jasn2H7NhioixZDkJVeyVIJ06jR4-NcabV3Xppi0&dib_tag=AUTHOR

     For what it's worth, I am a Gemini. Where some people see contradictions, I see an opportunity to create something new that contains the best of two seemingly contradictory positions. 

     I call this my metaphysical poetry book because I ponder some deep thoughts.

    This poem I share is lighter in tone, but not in meaning. It has been used in a post-secondary presentation about adjuncts.

    Scholarly Mercenary  from Gemini, Broad River Press © 2018   Arthur Turfa

  

From high school rooms rented out

at night to community or tech colleges,

with an occasional four-year

campus in the mix, I wander

shoulder bag crammed with

textbooks, papers, flash drive

instead of ammo and field rations.

 

Contracted from semester to semester,

lured by another check or recertification

points, perhaps more dollars poured

into the Holy Grail of retirement,

on the front lines of education can

we be found around 75% of the time.

 

No tenure secures us, Some of us have

only these classes. A few seek full-time

status. Not I’ my salary suffices.

 

When the curriculum changes, I change

enough to continue, unwilling to

challenge directly. I am needed, and

say to myself

Vive l’argent! Vive le métier scholaire

Vive les beaucoups savants mercenaires!

My novel:

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

 

Other books, mainly poetry with a short story collection

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arthur-Turfa/author/B00YJ9LNOA?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

   

"Accents" KDP How I Became Who I Am

                            https://www.amazon.com/Accents-Arthur-Turfa/dp/1980326703

  Thematically, Accents is the most cohesive of my books. I look back on the people, places, and events that formed me. I felt so strongly about this book that I obtained my rights from the original publisher and put it on Amazon.

     The opening poem:

     Accents

 

I

 

For all my lifelong

leitmotifs wafted on the air

through sounds and silences.

As I read, watched, or listened,

recalling at day’s end

or in a sudden flash. often

beholding intersecting

routines and rituals

which drew the strands

together into a pattern.

 

Accents call my attention

away from secondary, even

tertiary matters. Forcing my

focus on life-transforming

moments that make

destiny seem natural.

 

II

On the sidewalk between shops

ten languages in my ears, I learned

distinctions between shtetl and steppe,

Danube and Don, Mediterranean

and Moldova, how they slid into

the English I spoke. But their English

resembled the sea shells containing

the sounds of the sea

from which they came.

Have you heard of Jesish, Artur?

He vaz HunGARIAN just like us!

Announced Grandma like Archangel Gabriel

As we stood in the long driveway.

 

III

 

Attuned was I to accents of

friends and strangers in hundreds

of streets, bars and classrooms.

Speaking on trains as countryside

Flashed by the window or in

the Mensa among clattering of trays,

discerning dialects, finding my

second voice then passing it on

to some who wanted to find

their own.

 

IV

 

For a time I tried to play

what I heard on a fretboard.

Chords and notes I knew

but fingers could not fathom

how the sounds actually formed.

The accents had no melody and

gradually I left the strings untouched.

 

V

 

Recurring themes stand out,

accentuating between what is important

and what is unessential.

I grasped that comprehension

did not always require

immediate participation. Far better

to wait, to preserve, and act

when a leitmotif recurred.

 

VI

 

Seeking connections where

none seemed to exist,

I wondered what land looked like

before the town arose

from fields and forest,

whether an author colored

a portrayal of an event

to enhance the plot,

who the painter was whose

portrait inspired the poem.

Bleiben Sie beim Text!

Stay with the text!

Sounded the shrill, unsatisfying

cry in the seminars, as if

the text only existed in a

secular Holy of Holies.

For me, the glass bead game.

Not for its own sake but

to find coherence amidst

all the loose ends.

 

Arthur Turfa, ©2017 KDP

My novel:

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

Other books:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arthur-Turfa/author/B00YJ9LNOA?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

"Places and Times"- My First Poetry Book

https://www.amazon.com/Places-Times-Arthur-Turfa-ebook/dp/B00VQUVS4U?ref_=ast_author_dp&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jHfdZLygoGH7FjDYvN8-Z81mTS7zeZ--qe54HGMkhxq17oGcB617pl2JF8MoTPzTkx6ad73LhWeV4_qNaRmLUTrZWkCc2c8JvwwezkoGEjtSvDhQ9htGMlvWbpDXSZ6B.2U2Jasn2H7NhioixZDkJVeyVIJ06jR4-NcabV3Xppi0&dib_tag=AUTHOR 

At times I want to ride

At times I want to ride a chestnut horse

over wide, undulating, endless steppes,

with hooves pounding out a staccato beat,

our heads lowered to enhance speed,

pointing toward the elusive white stag

ever within our sight, ever out of reach,

leading to verdant valley far away.

 

Years ago I only kept the gas tank half-full

in my ’72 Duster slant 6.

Great was the temptation to drive beyond

the mountains hazy with residual smog,

looming as I dropped from the 55

on slender concrete ribbon down to the

San Diego Freeway towards Irvine.

The time had not come for me to leave.

 

Now my life no longer fits into a car.

The white stag has blended into the mists

and I am content to be where I am.

Dismounting, I set the horse to pasture

and sit sheltered by the tall pine trees.  Arthur Turfa, ©2017  eLectio Publishing

This poetry book has different forms and styles. I think it has weathered well after almost a decade.

My Novel:

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

"The Botleys of Beaumont County" Southern Lit- Family Struggles to Keep Their Social Position

 

                 https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

     My first novel. The review is from Michael Stephen Daigle, author of the Frank Nagler Mysteries:

The Botleys of Beaumont County are such an important family that members carry the name of the country in their name, thus Slerd Beaumont Botley.

And as such welcome to the framework of Southern fiction, a space occupied by William Faulkner, Pat Conroy, Margaret Mitchell, and now Arthur Turfa, poet turned fiction author.

Change comes slow in Southern fiction: The themes of historic roots, family, the American Civil War, (which for some has never ended), religion, economic divisions, and racism, both subtle and overt, are as prevalent as barbeque, cornbread, sweet tea, and country music.

It is a rich territory and in THE BOTLEYS OF BEAUMONT COUNTY, his first published novel, Turfa both honors these traditions and rips them apart.

Full disclosure: I read this manuscript in an early form. The published book is far different writing than what I read.

The story opens in 2008 with the election of Barack Obama as U.S. President, the first Black American so elected. Overlying the local happenings is the economic decline of 2008-09.

Turfa works the societal changes deftly into the story: The Botley’s cement products factory is in trouble, local businesses face failure, racial incidents at the local school, and turmoil in the once steady local churches.

As such the story reflects the times of 2008-09, but also shines a light on America of 2021.

At the center is the Botleys, proud, heroically Southern, and a flaming mess of a family.

Turfa details these changes through the eyes of, first Slerd Botley, successful local attorney, decorated Army veteran and family patriarch, and his teen-age daughter Ashley Violet Botley.

Slerd is a fixer, trying throughout the book to solve numerous social and family problems, including his failing marriage. But in his own way, Slerd is numb to the building trouble because as a fixer he sees the concerns at times only as issues to be solved through logic and influence.

He is also distracted by his burgeoning affair with Jessica Sinclair Cavendish, his high school sweetheart.

The relationship is central to the hierarchy of the story: She is from the wrong side of town, from the wrong family and their deep attraction is the key that opens the secrets of the story.

Offering a different view is Ashley, whose observations are scattered as asides. Whereas her father Slerd muddles through, one foot trapped in tradition, Ashley breaks those bonds and through her eyes, the reader grasps the changes that are coming to Beaumont County.

Other books from me

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arthur-Turfa/author/B00YJ9LNOA?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

"Epiphanies" My Short Stories Collection from Alien Buddha Press

 

                                 https://www.amazon.com/Epiphanies-Arthur-Turfa/dp/B0CW182ZK2

     Without planning or warning, something impacts life and opens the way for a positive new development. These stories relate how this happens to an aging singer-songwriter, a young graduate student far from home, a female pastor in an unsupportive congregation, a young woman pressured to give up her dreams and return home, and a single parent adjunct instructor in a professional rut. 

    Available exclusively from Amazon! Signed copies to US and Canadian readers- contact me!  

   A reading from the book:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUqsM3GepgI&t=296s

   Poetry books at:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arthur-Turfa/author/B00YJ9LNOA?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

  My novel at:

 https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county