Attorney and Political Activist's Back-Home Poetry Wins Kirkus Award 'Star'

Attorney and Political Activist's Back-Home Poetry Wins Kirkus Award 'Star'

MORRISTOWN, N.J., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's turbulent world, how can we relieve the stress that often grips us? One prescription, many experts agree, is by enjoying foods close to our heart like sweet corn right from the farmer. Another is by simply reading poetry, whose musical language and meditative reflections are said to soothe the soul.

Now, a new book of poetry, titled Hero Island, would appear to offer a particularly uplifting elixir for both easing stress and renewing the spirit. Written by Stephen B. Wiley, lawyer, community activist, former New Jersey state senator, and admitted corn lover, Hero Island, ($12.95 Oasis Publishing) is available at bookstores and at http://www.heroisland.com/ . The book was inspired by Wiley's vacation sojourns on an island in northern Vermont.

"What's more quintessentially summer than sweet corn on a warm evening?" asks poet Stephen B. Wiley. "Here's a poem that'll help you enjoy one of life's simple pleasures."

Shucking Corn

Do it outside
Inside would make a mess

Break off the stem
Peel back the tassel and husk
Don't think about the taste
The sweet crunchy kernels
Or how your salty lips will pucker
Concentrate on your work

Peel most of the silk then rub off the rest
It's not time for dinner yet
Don't think about the glistening rows
After the golden ear is buttered up
Or about the crunchy sounds
When your teeth munch into the kernels

Now bring the ears to the cook
Put the husks and silk in the garbage
And forget about the coming joy

Awarded a Star by Kirkus Reviews because of Hero Island's "unusual merit," Stephen B. Wiley was called, "Robert Frost's 'good neighbor' in Vermont," as he poetically shares life on the Vermont countryside.

In Hero Island, Wiley reflects on his life as a boy working on farms in New Jersey, on times spent with his family at their summer home in northern Vermont, and on the insights he has gained from an active life as an advocate and reformer.

Yet his collected poems are not mere nostalgic reminiscences or the flowery platitudes of a wistful dreamer. Rather, according to one reviewer, Hero Island "is a rare blend of poetic reflection" and "realism," writes Jennie S. Bev, managing editor of BookReviewClub.com. "Wiley's crystal-clear language sparkles with humanity. Readers of all ages will find his poems beautiful and extremely encouraging."

Source: Stephen B. Wiley

CONTACT: Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications, +1-734-667-2090,
Cell: +1-248-705-2214, scottlorenz@westwindcos.com

Web site: http://www.heroisland.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Review copy, author photo, book cover available.

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