Treasuring Poetry – Meet talented author and poet, Gwen M. Plano, and a review #poetry #bookreview #readingcommunity

Posted: July 17, 2024 | Author: robbiesinspiration | Filed under: Book Review, Books, Interview, Poetry, Review, Treasuring Poetry | Tags: Book Review, Gwen M. Plano, Interview, Poetry, Robbie Cheadle, The Soul Whisperer's Decision, Treasuring Poetry, Writing to be Read |51 Comments

This month, I am delighted to introduced talented author and poet, Gwen M. Plano, as my Treasuring Poetry guest.

What is your favourite style of poetry to read, i.e. haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc?

I enjoy all forms of poetry. If a poem gives me pause by how it transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, or if it illuminates a mystery, then I’m captivated. Pablo Neruda and Maya Angelou are two of my favorites, and they both write freestyle. But I also love syllabic poetry. Matsuo Basho’s The Old Pond is breathtaking:

An old silent pond

A frog jumps into the pond

Splash! Silence again.

What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?

In the 1980s, I discovered T.S. Eliot and his Four Quartets. Written in freestyle, the lengthy poems address the deep questions of life. I’ve probably read the poems a dozen times. The last quartet, Little Gidding, is my favorite. It’s too long to include in this post, but Section IV offers a glimpse of Eliot’s spiritual depth:

The dove descending breaks the air

With flame of incandescent terror

Of which the tongues declare

The one discharge from sin and error.

The only hope, or else despair

Lies in the choice of pyre or pyre—

To be redeemed from fire by fire.

Who then devised the torment? Love.

Love is the unfamiliar Name

Behind the hands that wove

The intolerable shirt of flame

Which human power cannot remove.

We only live, only suspire

Consumed by either fire or fire.

What is your favourite style of poetry to write? Why?

When I write spontaneously and from my heart, the poetry is freestyle. I don’t think about the structure of the poem; rather, I’m focused on the story it tells. If I were to choose a favorite style, it would be freestyle.

Every week, though, I participate in poet Colleen Chesebro’s syllabic poetry prompts. I’ve learned tremendously through her example and instruction. Importantly, I’ve come to love syllabic poetry.

What is your favourite of your own poems in your favourite style?

I’ve two poems that I particularly like, and I can’t decide which one is my favorite. One reflects on grief, and the other focuses on writers. Both are written in freestyle, and the first includes rhyme.

The Old Pier

The Old Pier

Remember when we danced in the moonlight?
I was your princess, and you were my knight.
Remember the star you said was mine alone?
Brilliant and pulsing, it was our secret cosmic stone.

Now I hold your ashes and not your embrace,
and I weep with every memory trace.
I walk the old pier and hope I will see
you standing there, waiting for me.

But ashes to ashes is as day is to night
a harsh, inevitable part of life’s hike.
My tears are lost in the water below.
Maybe they’ll find you if I can just let go.

The Author

Picture caption: The author by Gwen M. Plano

The Author

I search for you,

writer unknown,

each page a port of departure.

Through hurdles, fears, and

the dreams you disclose,

I wander.

A word laid bare,

a phrase that lingers,

a plot that captures or awakens,

your footsteps stealth on paper trails,

the scent of you,

I savor.

The web you spin,

entraps and cradles,

while entangled characters wrestle.

Through the give and take of life and love,

the glimpses of you,

I follow.

At last, I see,

my muse, my tease,

behind the hes and shes you’ve crafted,

a warrior or tender lover – the storyteller,

YOU, now revealed, I honor.

Tell us a bit about your fiction writing and your latest book, The Soul Whisperers Decision. What is the book about? What inspired the book?

Much like my poetry, writing fiction is a journey. I write when something gnaws at my soul. It often begins with scenes and questions, and just as often, I don’t know where the story will take me. I am both the writer and the reader.

The Soul Whisperer’s Decision begins with a tragedy. A father loses his little children in a car accident that almost kills his wife as well. The young man is a veteran, and he is pulled back into his struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The story follows this veteran through the pain of loss to the eventual rediscovery of hope.

What inspired this story? For a decade, I worked with Marines and soldiers from all service branches, returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. I was an administrator at a college located near military bases. I soon discovered that most of those who were boots-on-the-ground suffered from PTSD in addition to physical injuries. By choice, my work shifted to serving those who had served all of us.

Over the years, I’ve heard people scoff at PTSD as though it is a sign of weakness. These individuals never served and have no idea what these brave men and women experienced. In my novel and my WIP, I attempt to illuminate that experience.

The Soul Whisperer’s Decision also includes a nurse who has a Near Death Experience. Her choice of remaining in the heavenly realm or returning to her life shapes the story’s direction. Since the 1980s, I’ve studied NDEs and have spoken with some who have medically died. It is an experience that is personal and close to my heart.     

My review of The Soul Whisperer’s Decision

This beautifully written and emotional book is ultimately about making choices when life presents us with devastating obstacles on our path. For various reasons, this topic is close to my heart and I related heavily to the main character, Sarah, who, following a devastating car accident, needed to make the ultimate decision about whether to fight for life or let go. To make this decision harder, Sarah lost both her small children in the accident. I have watched loved ones making this choice and the decision to live is a hard one when months of rehabilitation and pain lie ahead.

While Sarah is fighting for her life in hospital, her husband, Jack, a Vietnam veteran, faces mental collapse when his post traumatic stress disorder rears its ugly head. Jack is devastated by the loss of his little ones and flawed by the uncertainty as to his wife’s recovery. Jack must also make a choice about whether to face the pain and try to rebuild his life or whether to end his suffering.

The sensitive and yet realistic manner in which the author deals with the trauma and the emotional and mental reactions of her two central characters demonstrates a deep understanding of people and the human condition. This relatively short novel will have you examining your own life and considering how you would react in the same circumstances. There is a lot of subtle guidance woven throughout this book and it is essentially, a very uplifting read. I strongly recommend this excellent book.

Purchase The Soul Whisperer’s Decision by Gwen M. Plano from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CPGXLD95

About Gwen M. Plano

Gwen M. Plano, aka Gwendolyn M. Plano, grew up in Southern California and spent most of her professional life in higher education. She taught and served as an administrator in colleges in Japan, New York, Connecticut, and California. Gwen’s academic background is in theology and counseling. Recently retired, she now lives in the high desert of Arizona, where she writes, gardens, and travels with her husband.

Gwen’s first book is an acclaimed memoir, Letting Go into Perfect Love. Her second book, The Contract between heaven and earth, is a thriller fiction novel, co-authored by John W. Howell. It has received multiple awards and is an Amazon Best Seller. The Choice, the unexpected heroes is the sequel to The Contract. It is also a thriller, involving the attempt of an unfriendly nation to take over the world. The third book in the series, The Culmination, a new beginning is an action-packed military thriller that spans the globe and involves multiple Heads of State and the threat of World War III. Only love can change the fate of humanity.

When Gwen is not writing, she’s often in the beautiful Red Rocks of Sedona, where she finds inspiration.

About Robbie Cheadle

South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

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This segment of “Treasuring Poetry” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and the Poetry Treasures series.

Poetry Treasures: https://books2read.com/PoetryTreasures

Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships: https://books2read.com/PT2-Relationships

Poetry Treasures 3: Passions: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR

Poetry Treasures 4:In Touch With Nature: https://books2read.com/PT4-Nature

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