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  • Words of Life: Poems and Essays

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Ann Chiappetta
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Words of Life: Poems and Essays Kindle Edition

by Ann Chiappetta (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 out of 5 stars (5)
In this new collection of poems, essays, and flash fiction, the author once again exhibits her ability to write about both the light and dark sides of life. There are numerous poems and stories about nature: its kindness, cruelty, and wonder. There are frank expressions of the sadness and frustration she felt at the progressive loss of her eyesight and a poem about the social isolation that disability can bring. Other pieces, though, sing of joys as diverse as family closeness, the love of dogs, the delights of scents, and the power of the muse. Just as in her first volume of poetry, Upwelling: Poems (2016), there is no fluff here. To read Ann Chiappetta’s works is to feel them deeply, appreciate them mightily, and remember them forever. From the IntroductionWhile it is my hope that all the pieces in this book resonate with my readers, I have my favorites. Some of the poems have been previously published; all reflect what lies within. This volume is accented with a few photographs. As I lose the last vestiges of my vision, bringing a meaningful visual array to this collection seems imperative. Finally, dear reader, I want to share the prose that reflects the way I’ve lived my creative life. If just one poem or essay resonates with you, I have accomplished the purpose. For a moment, as the eye reads and the brain interprets, the reader slips into the shoes of the writer. This is the true spirit of what it means to be creative, open, to offer the emotions in such a way as to give another person the opportunity to appreciate the writer’s experience with the words of life.
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  1. Print length
    142 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    March 9, 2019
  5. File size
    383 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07PH82GJ5
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 9, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 383 KB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 142 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Best Sellers Rank: #4,552,663 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars (5)

About the author

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Ann Chiappetta

Ann Chiappetta

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Ann is an artist and often refers to her love of words as a natural compensation after losing her vision in 1993. Once a designer of acrylic displays and furniture, Ann trained her creative senses to flow over from the visual to the literary arts. Years later, she has become a poet and author, honing her talent in various mediums, including web content for nonprofits, regular bylines for online literary publications, poetry, anthologies and guest editing in online literary journals.

Ann possesses a master of science in Marriage and family therapy from Iona College and an undergraduate degree from the College of New Rochelle, both located in Westchester County, New York. A guide dog handler and advocate, Ann volunteers her time representing people with visual impairments and guide dog users on various National, State and local boards of directors. A consultant and guest presenter, Ann visits schools promoting awareness and equality for people with disabilities. She is the 2015 recipient of the WDOM Spirit of Independence award and the 2019 GDUI Lieberg-Metz award for excellence in writing.

For more information about Ann or to read her blog, thought-wheel or to listen to audio and video clips, visit http://www.annchiappetta.com/

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
5 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

  • Zgal
    5.0 out of 5 stars The purpose of this volume… (is to) reflect...
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2019
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Review

    Family vacations carefully recorded in journal entries, conversations and encounters with strangers on a beach or in a van, mythical stories of wolves and Greek legends, thefts perpetrated by shore birds on beaches, a dishonest neighbor, watchers, witnesses, a voyeur, and lurking dark dogs who appear initially as a sniff, or a nose. By the end of the collection the entire black dog has transformed into a threatening beast-
    these are among Ann Chiappetta’s themes in her 3rd book, Words of Life, a collection of poems and essays.
    The reader does not travel far into the text to begin to make discoveries about the intention of the author.
    In the “Introduction,” she states,
    “The purpose of this volume… (is to) reflect
    the beauty in nature, the complexities of the
    human condition.”

    As we reach the conclusion of this collection, we see the author as a voyeuristic listener, in her own words:

    “I’ve often tried to figure out why I’m chosen to
    be the designated listener. Two possibilities
    are: 1. When someone notices I’m blind,
    they figure, what the heck, she’ll never
    see me again, and if she does, she won’t
    recognize me anyway. 2. I’m eavesdropping
    on conversations, being an opportunist in
    disguise to feed a voyeuristic curiosity.”

    Each piece assembled for this collection has the mark of the keen eye and sensitive ear of a person who listens, takes notes, contemplates, and responds to the run-of-the-mill situations and ordinary, everyday and commonplace conversation, observation, or experience. She moves easily between moments of joy, pride, awe, irritation, anger, fear, and even her struggles with recurring depression and the ways she battles through them. Always, there is a sense of place; specific locations such as Long Island Shore, California, Old Sturbridge, Aruba, the Bay, a hospital – each a marker left behind on her journey - Words of Life.

    ~ Lynda McKinney Lambert
    Star Signs: New & Selected poems, 2019.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Julia
    4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Read!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2020
    Format: Paperback
    "Words of Life: Poems and Essays" by Ann Chiappetta contains nature poetry broken up by stories of tropical vacations and vivid stories, ending with the story of a woman coming to terms with her disability.

    Chiappetta starts this collection with humorous depictions of middle-aged people traveling with “sore butts and stiff joints”. She uses humor well, but I felt that her stories in this section lacked urgency. She told the facts of what happened on certain trips, but didn’t invite her readers into a more intimate depiction of the journey.

    I wish Chiappetta had started this collection with her last second, “The Human Condition”. This is the section where we really get to know the writer, and I think this introduction into her more intimate experience and feelings would have helped me appreciate the first three sections more.

    For example, Chiappetta doesn’t explicitly address her blindness until her poem “Separate”, three–quarters of the way through the collection. I felt like I didn’t really know her as a person until this poem and the entire last section. This section really kept my attention and evoked emotions while the first three sections didn’t touch me the same way.

    I would definitely recommend Words of Life to people who struggle with blindness or other disabilities. Chiappetta is honest and raw as she unpacks her frustrations, fears, and the obstacles she faces due to her disability,

    “I am already isolated. I choose self–limiting routines, working long hours and rejecting social events because the entire process is exhausting.”

    I would have liked more of a theme throughout the collection. Especially since the poetry and stories was written over the span of around thirty years, it didn’t feel like they was tied together by anything in particular. Some poems go back as far as 1987, while some were written in 2018. Because Chiappetta is writing from such different stages in her life, the collection doesn’t feel as concise as it could have.

    Enjoy some of my favorite quotes from Words of Life,

    “The writing muscle

    Is a narcissist”

    “Is it me or are airlines adding leg room by taking away shoulder space? I take my turn on the armrest, thinking family togetherness is overrated.”

    “The horizon is ambrosia–stroked perfection

    sensual breezes revive listless skin

    and numb lips.”

    “Ruffled pillow sham absorbs tears, insulates neglect.”

    “I am afraid of the isolation this disability brings upon me, and I sense the skulking shadow of fear and depression it holds in its jaws.”
    2 people found this helpful
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  • AmazonWoman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Go on this adventure with Ann Chiapetta and bring along your curiosity
    Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2021
    Format: Kindle
    Words of Life by Ann Chiapetta is a book of prose and poetry which took this reader on the many paths of the author. Introduced, first to a journey and interlaced throughout the book, the many adventures of Chiapetta. I felt as if I had a back of the mind seat, gathering a view from someone who uses her words so expressively, descriptively that I could feel an awareness in my senses, as they engaged in the life of one who has visual challenges. Experiencing the progression, the heightened senses and what this means from someone who knows, firsthand, was an important experience for me. I am grateful to this prolific writer for taking me into her world. And I appreciate the positive energy from this delightful human being.
    Helpful
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