The Parkinson Poems
by Jan Seale
Finalist for the Helen C. Smith Memorial Award for Best Book of Poetry from the Texas Institute of Letters, 2015
Parkinson’s disease and poetry square off in this volume written from the perspectives of a caregiver and her husband. With grit, humor, and compassion, Seale spells out the vicissitudes of dealing with this so-far incurable neurological condition affecting seven million people worldwide.
From onset through progression and treatment to final simple toleration, the poems testify to the mysteries and vagaries of the disease. Seeing faces in everything, lacking the ability to smile, stalling in doorways, obsessing on creativity—these and other peculiar symptoms of the brain syndrome are explored in accessible poetry from the desk of a Texas poet laureate.
Order from any bookstore, local or online. This title is also available from Fleur Fine Books of Galveston, Texas.
About the Author
Jan Seale was the 2012 Texas Poet Laureate. She is the author of nine volumes of poetry, the latest being The Parkinson Poems, published by Lamar University Press. She has also authored two books of short fiction, three volumes of nonfiction, and nine children's books.
Her work is published nationally in such venues as The Yale Review, Texas Monthly, and Newsday. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Creative Writing. Seale teaches memoir and creative writing workshops both in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where she lives, and nationally for writing groups and learning centers.