But, no one would tell me the specifics. Finally, I talked with the newspaper editor, and he told me the story of how the town mortician and his wife had been killed by their son. The editor said he refused to put that kind of news in the paper. Aunt Joe's hopeful marriage, her years of sorrow and her ultimate place of balance back in her hometown are told in short vignettes that Walker also is using as the basis for a play, Rowing Into Light on Lake Adley, that will be performed next year at UD by the Professional Theatre Training Program. The whole theme of time, Walker said, is also responsible for what she sees as a resurgence in the popularity of poetry in this country.
Poetry can go beyond the surface without taking forever to read.
The book, published by Copper Beech Press in February, tells the tales of many characters from the town, including the beauty operator who ran her salon in her living room, the proprietor of the general store, kids at the local high school and a family of German immigrants. He is the youngest son, disinherited, with nothing but twelve dollars and the heat of his own heart to pitch like a tent against the cold. And not an inch of land. So he makes a bargain with America. Walker will read from her book on Friday, Sept. 18, in 103 Gore Hall.