FootHills Publishing     |   home Gelineau   |   Darling, Morton   |   Czarnecki   |   Ruggieri, Pruitt, Memmer   |   Huff   |   Desire Vail   |   Bruce Bennett   |   Czury   |   Conners   |   Gilman   |   M J Iuppa   |   Sweet   |   Brown   |   Arsenault   |   Leuzzi   |   Saling   |   MacPherson   |   Good   |   Harrier   |   Coffman   |   Donaghy   |   Coon   |   O'Brien   |   Merrifield   |   Allardt   |   Battelle, Loiselle   |   Gell Center Anthology   |   Ouzoonian   |   Myers   |   Courington   |   Betten   |   Hill-Kaucher   |   Contact FHP  What I Really Wanted Archaeology Dream of Animals BRUCE SWEET's work has appeared in such texts as BLUELINE, COMMONWEAL, HAZMAT REVIEW, LAKE AFFECT, MILKWEED EDITIONS: Contemporary Poems About Music, MINNESOTA MONTHLY, REDACTIONS, YANKEE and in six chapbooks. Twenty-five of his plays have been produced in various regional and educational theatres. ARCHAEOLOGY, a volume of poetry (Foothills Publishing) and two chapbooks of poems, THIS IS A GOOD THING (Pudding House Publications) and A DREAM OF ANIMALS (FootHills), were published in 2003. He presently teaches writing at Roberts Wesleyan College. Dr. Sweet's "WHAT'S THE WORD?" program celebrating local, national and international poets, can be heard on Rochester's NPR station WXXI 91.5 and 90.3 FM. He lives with his wife and five cats in Charlotte, Rochester, NY, where he is visited upon occasion by his seven children and five grandchildren. Bruce Sweet's Website - www.bsweetInk.com  What I Really Wanted New and Selected Stories, Poems and Plays March 13 - Mr. Dominic's at the Lake, 4699 Lake Avenue, Rochester, NY Noon to 12:50PM Reading and Book signing - WHAT I REALLY WANTED:  NEW AND SELECTED STORIES, PLAYS AND POEMS                     From the Foreward Bruce now teaches mainly through his work, which is as rich, varied and vibrant as the man.  His extensive experience in the theater as an actor, director and writer is reflected in his characters, no matter what genre they appear in. As you read, I think you will agree - whether Dort and Twink in "The Essential Existential Lunch," Fat Chance and Warren-Bird," the "stars" of their eponymous tale, or Joe and Marion trading evocative lines in the tension-rich "Peace," each character voice resonates within finely orchestrated movements of action. Bruce's themes are ancient and tribal. Whatever the form, he is finally a poet. A poet in the bardic tradition who, as Stafford says, responds to life by singing.  Singing about faith, hope and love: all found in the details of life. While Buddy and Will's dialogue in "Look How the Birds Are Walking on Her Shoulders" at first may suggest a Beckett-like surreal view of life, the bleakness of Godot is absent. Fully present are the pain, humor and, ultimately, acceptance of love and loss. In a personal favorite, "Sunshine," Bruce captures the loving insanity of the family we create and which is created for us by life's choices: our own and the ones of those we love.  In "Prayer After Surgery," the rhythm of movement between conscious and sub-conscious of the prayerful survivor is both playful and terrifying in its weaving of memory and wakefulness, fear and gratitude. If you are already familiar with Bruce's work, you'll be delighted anew by what lies inside. If this is your first encounter, well --  hang on to your socks and your sides. You're in for a ride. With this newest collection, Bruce once again sings in his strong, affirmative voice about what he - and all of us - really wanted:  to be fully alive, asking the questions to which each of us must find our own answers. Bob Shea October, 2004 Rochester, NY CONTENTS Forward      Stories THE ESSENTIAL EXISTENTIAL LUNCH:   PART ONE      WHAT I REALLY WANTED      FAT CHANCE AND WARREN-BIRD:  PROLOGUE & PART ONE                                            ARTIE                                                                                                               Plays LOOK HOW THE BIRDS ARE WALKING ON HER SHOULDERS      PEACE          Poems GENESEE REMEMBRANCES      COMMUNION      FAMILY      BEGINNING/ENDING      SUNSHINE      PRAYER AFTER SURGERY      MUSHROOM      STAY A LITTLE      YOU MUST TAKE CARE       TIME         POEM FOR A GOOD FRIDAY      JUNE TWENTY-SECOND      YOUR HANDS       FALL      A CHANGE OF CLOTHES       AND SEASONS      WINTER TOUR       WE DECIDED NOT TO ACT SURPRISED ABOUT THE WHOLE THING      FORGIVENESS      MOOSE IN WINTER      HAVE MERCY      TRUFFAUT IN LOVE       DREAMS OF ANIMALS      JOURNEY CIRCLE      LOVE IN OLD AGE      NIGHT CAT      Afterword Some Thoughts and Intuitions on Writing    What I Really Wanted is a 112 page paperback, hand-sewn, with flat spine - $16.00 ISBN:  0-941053-47-4 TO ORDER  What I Really Wanted ON-LINE      To order through mail see bottom of page. ****************************************  Archaeology (2003) From the book: ARCHAEOLOGY this is the first day digging among the gleaming bones a few with the remnant gold the green and crimson gems at wrists and ankles   the hint of splendor in the now gone leaves that must have been the size of tigers lolling in the sun   broken bowls of clay shards of early sea glass filtered through the bronze and ebony of graciousness down we go to visit graves parched blood   black sandal horse's mane across the out skirts of a face once loved in blissful ignorance of pain the trace of hand once held in trust   in pledge   in secret at the mouth of longing   we lose the day discovering the past   to sit at table in the dust of dark   to wonder at our finds   and then to fast                   Archaeology is a 68 page paperback, hand-sewn, with flat spine - $14.00 ISBN:  0-941053-18-0 TO ORDER  Archaeology ON-LINE      To order through mail see bottom of page. ************************************  Dream of Animals (2003) Illustrations by Sarah Cushman From the book: These little poems are for the grand-children to enjoy at Christmas 2003. Blessings on Elizabeth, Grant, Joshua, Rachel and Taylor. And on their own animals. And their good families. At the end of the poems is a list of words and their definitions called A Glossary. You may need to look up words you are not familiar with or you may not. And if someone other than you wishes to enjoy these poems about animals, let them go right ahead! Blessings on their animals and families too. And to all Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!               Christmas 2003 SNAKES under rocks   quietly unearthed lay baby copperheads   asleep how comfortable in coiled colors how peaceful was the braided tangle of their rest   my father gently took away my hand SARAH CUSHMAN is a pen and ink wildlife artist who shows her work in the form of originals, prints and note cards in galleries and shops in New York and New England. She is also an interior designer who works on residential projects in the reconstruction and rearrangement of space. She and her husband and young son live in upstate New York. Dream of Animals, 10 poems with accompanying illustrations, is a 32 page paperback, hand-sewn, with flat spine - $10.00 ISBN:  0-941053-19-9 TO ORDER  Dream of Animals ON-LINE      To order through mail see below. To order any of the above listed books by mail send total price plus $1.25 Shipping and Handling ($1.75 in Canada; $3.25 other countries) for each address sent to. Send orders to:                            FootHills Publishing PO Box 68 Kanona, NY 14856 Thank you for your support!