A story of a memory about once long ago.

#Wattys2014 Award Winner: This candid, heartfelt collection of essays addresses many of life's thorniest challenges. Whether you struggle with a perennially messy house, run away worrying, depression, an unhappy relationship, mega-stress or even the devastating loss of a loved one, give yourself the gift of The Power Of Rest. You'll find comfort, encouragement and inspiration here, and come away with a renewed appreciation of your own inner wisdom and innate desire for peace, gratitude and simplicity.

THE YEAR is 1968 and the Swinging Sixties are still swinging - though not in Ireland. But wait! An old woman dies in a northern Irish town and her wake becomes a rendezvous for lesbians, bisexuals and political revolutionaries. And in there among them all is Jeremiah Coffey, lonely Jeremiah, an innocent abroad in his own country and hopelessly in love with the beautiful Aisling who swings both ways. And all this in holy Ireland. Hold on to your hats!

Journey Home c.2013, Olan L. Smith Journey Home is a collection of poems that is a personal search for my spiritual home. I go about this search with the tools of poetry using the English language as my map. Love, peace and freedom, Olan L. Smith

Fourteen line poems.

'Festina Lente' is the Latin phrase. The headmaster, of the grammar school I went to as a boy, once uttered it in my direction as I skidded round a corner of a corridor like Charlie Chaplin. He never raised his voice except in assembly since he kept a cane or two in his office. I heard that phrase again in the wind, in the flapping of drying autumn leaves. October and November (and indeed December, still technically autumn up to the 20th} are countries of their own.

I am attempting to branch out and free myself from the constraints imposed by the label 'war poet'. I once wrote a poem (sadly lost) which voiced my frustration at my apparent inability to write about anything other than combat and its aftermath. Now I am retired from the military, it's time to move on. So here goes. I have set myself the task of writing a poem a day to flex my atrophied literary muscles. The first poem is war-related, but I just couldn't help myself!

Random stories, poems and thoughts. "Write what should not be forgotten." - Isabel Allende

REAL LIFE STORY: I was a stereotypical high achiever in an Ivy League school who got suspended for plagiarism; April was a sweet girl who worked in a high-end prostitution ring. We were both in our early twenties when we became friends. A perfect timing, because my heart was full and swollen, so was hers. With the help of vodka, we began spilling our secrets one by one. Our hidden wounds, our dirty laundry, our youthful ambitions—everything. QUESTIONS EXPLORED: Why am I unhappy? What is the meaning of friendship? What makes someone sexy? What is the purpose of life? Why is love so confusing? Is it wrong to be selfish? What drives you? How insecure is too insecure? Why do I feel jealous? What triggers a quarter-life crisis? Why are some girls so crazy? Why are most guys dumb? What is philanthropy? What do we owe to homeless people? What should we do about loneliness? Injustice? Depression? What if I really, badly want to be beautiful? What am I most ashamed of? What do people I dislike have in common? Who is God? Why do we pray? What do I know for sure? Why tithe? Why love again?