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The Sweet Tea Poetry Circle of Stillwater Creek -- Fictional Anthology Offers Diverse Look into Poetry

DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 1, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Before life took its toll on them, Meredith and Elmo Aaronson hosted a popular poetry circle in their community. In the hopes of preserving the memories of their endeavors, Meredith collected verse from a number of the participants for the new fictional anthology, Collective Works of the Sweet Tea Poetry Circle (now available through AuthorHouse).

On par with such classic poetry concepts as Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology, this book is actually written by James Hutchins. Set in fictional Stillwater Creek, the poetry circle has been meeting at the Aaronson home for the past 15 years. Recently, Elmo died of cancer and Meredith suffered a series of strokes, which has confined her to a nursing home. The last meeting of the Sweet Tea Poetry Circle occurred in October 2003, and since selling the house, Meredith has edited the poems into an anthology to commemorate their lives.

Collective Works of the Sweet Tea Poetry Circle is a diverse fictional anthology told through Hutchins' poems as written through the assorted characters who habituated the poetry group. Held on the banks of the Stillwater Creek, the circle brings people together from all walks of life, from an auto mechanic to a systems analyst to a pharmacist, all longing to explore their expressive and creative potentials. There is Buddy Lankford, a four-wheeling fanatic who dreams of getting "Married on the Moon," Sharleesa Davis, a "Sushi Fan" who laments the high price of her favorite delicacy and Paige Sanders who is still trying to heal emotional wounds after what happened in "New York 2001." Jerry Winstead likes to experiment with poetry, and Edwina Leuenberger finds solace in "A Little Weed." Carla Hayes even provides her recipe for the perfect "Moonrock Soup."

I made a pot of moonrock soup/ A single stone for flavor/ With fresh parsnips and peas/ Topped with Milky Way cheese/ In comet water I failed to measure./ I served the soup to my love by the sea/ On an ocean-landing asteroid date/ We'd barely a taste when it came splashing down/ And the world began to rumble and shake/ I'll never forget the dash we made/ In advance of the coming wave/ From the sands to the mountains/ Across the rocks and up the slope

A unique experience in the realm of fiction and poetry, Collective Works of the Sweet Tea Poetry Circle is an anthology filled with black and white photographs and lush verse that stretches the imagination while enlightening the mind and touching the heart.

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