BEAUTIFUL PLANET (a journey in villanelles)

Beautiful Planet is a sampler book of 'villanelles' - a poetic form which has its roots in 16th century Italy. Villanelles have a history of being "anti-elitist, female-friendly, cross-cultural ... and composed in a spirit of improvisation". The special pattern of rhyme-endings and line-repeats lends itself to a wide range of poetic commentary - from deeply self-reflective accounts of difficult experiences to satirical challenges of the status quo.
This book considers the human struggle to gain a sense of freedom whilst living in an increasingly dysfunctional and authoritarian global capitalist system. The poems provide jump-off points into our inner world where reliable anchors may be found. From this place of deeper self-trust we are more likely to find the clarity to act with greater meaning in everyday life.