How the poetry chapbook idea "Drenched" arrived a like a message in a bottle

What is a poetry chapbook and how can a poet put one together? Simply put, a poetry chapbook is a shorter book of poetry, usually 40 or fewer pages, and is often saddle-stitched. It's a great first-effort for a poet, or a type of book to come out "between books." A full poetry collection is usually at least 52 pages and is perfect bound, ie. with a spine.

Earlier this year, I gave the last poetry reading at Billy Corgan's Madame Zuzu's Tea Shop in Highland Park, Illinois. As a theme, I decided to read a handful of poems I had written about tea, coffee, champagne, water, and other liquids and liquid experiences. 

In the process of reeling in the poems I'd read that night, I discovered I had written quite a number of poems not only on potable liquids, but also on waterfalls, sewers, pools, saunas and floods. Even blood. Because I had gone into my computer back-up drive of poems and keyed in search words for various liquid concepts, I found poems I had nearly forgotten about. Before long, I realized I had enough "liquid" poems for a chapbook-length manuscript. It was little like walking onto shore and finding a bottle on the beach filled with poems.

Songwriter and Beatle John Lennon said, "Life is what happens while you are making other plans." This year, I have been busy working on a play, writing a manuscript for another poetry book, and listing other goals on a to-do list, anything but coming out with a chapbook of poems about liquids, which was the farthest thing from my mind.

On a whim, I sent the "liquid" manuscript out to a few poetry publishers using the title "Drenched." Before long, Main Street Rag Publishing Company in Charlotte, North Carolina, contacted me with the news that they had accepted my manuscript Drenched for publication. Several years ago, I had a poem published in the "Main Street Rag" magazine, a literary periodical they regularly issue, in addition to their publishing of books and chapbooks. Not sure if that had helped me. Maybe.

I reached out to several friends and associates to read the manuscript and offer blurbs. Many thanks to Ana Castillo, Mike Puican, Jennifer Dotson, Charlie Rossiter and Raul Nino for writing such splendid words about the poems! Read their blurbs under "Comments."

Reading at Madame Zuzu's
with musicians
Tima Fei & Julian Cumpian

The 40-page perfectbound chapbook Drenched is now published. You can order only at the Main Street Rag page for Drenched.

Read a few poems from the chapbook online now under "Samples."

Thank you friends, family and readers for your support! Look for my upcoming full poetry collection to appear early 2019, Epicurean Ecstasy: More Poems About Food, Drink, Herbs and Spices (The Poetry Box, Portland).

Note to my fellow poets: Take a closer look at all the poems you've written, and perhaps type in key words in your computer to search the poems in your files for recurring themes, like I did. You may have a chapbook manuscript or even a full collection manuscript in your hands that you weren't even aware of.
     ◦

How the poetry chapbook idea "Drenched" arrived a like a message in a bottle

Are there natural preventives for Ebola?

At the time of this writing, the Ebola Virus Disease has had its sporadic brushes with the U.S., such as in Dallas and New York City, but has not become a pandemic, as it has in West Africa.

Even though some U.S. travel and quarantine restrictions are slowly being put into place, many keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.  That is, waiting for someone with Ebola to come to our shores, get lost in the shuffle, infect others who might possibly mistake Ebola symptoms for influenza, and unleash a chain of infected individuals spreading it to a myriad of others. Let's hope this doesn't happen.

Think about it though. With no pharmaceutical cure readily available (maybe they have a couple of test tubes of the cure sitting at the CDC), the question remains -- are there natural measures we can take to boost our immune systems to help prevent Ebola -- and influenza and other viruses for that matter?

Remember, even in West Africa, not every exposed person is contracting Ebola. There are those who come down with it who don't die and eventually recover their health. As well, looking back 100 years, not everyone who was exposed to the deadly Spanish flu got it or died from it either. What is so different about these people than others who have contracted the Ebola or Spanish flu virus and died from it?

One's immune system may have a lot to do with it. Physical fitness, clean food, air and water, plenty of sleep, lack of stress, and the right nutrients coursing through one's body may have made the survival difference. Some people have strong constitutions. But others who don't have such a strong constitution or immune system can work toward having one.

In addition to keeping hydrated and well-fed with an organic, non-GMO array of superfoods, can vitamin and mineral supplements such as vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin B12, selenium, melatonin or curcumin (turmeric) have a positive effect in guarding one's immune system against Ebola and other viruses?

Recent articles issued by the Alliance for Natural Health "Government Ignores Natural Treatment Options" and Green Med Info "Can Vitamin C Cure Ebola?" have appeared and argue in defense of natural preventives.

If the Ebola virus becomes widespread in this country, the mainstream healthcare system may not be able to help you. As it is, many U.S. healthcare workers are hesitant in dealing with the few Ebola patients who've been on the roster. During a pandemic, you can believe these same workers would prefer to stay at home and protect their own families. What good it is getting to a hospital only to find no one's working there.

If and when we are on our own to improve the quality of our own immune systems to prevent the contraction of virus, natural methods may be all we have. Should we think of using them?

Special note: Nearly 20 years ago, a popular feature film "Outbreak" starring Dustin Hoffman and Kevin Spacey, explored the "what-if" concept of what might happen during an Ebola pandemic in the U.S. Worth rewatching this eye-opening movie in light of our current situation. A Washington Post article from this past August (when only 900 had thus perished from Ebola) examines the movie "Outbreak" and other films on pandemics, such as "Contagion." ◦

Are there natural preventives for Ebola?