Imperfect Echoes – Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small
Imperfect Echoes: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small Self-Published in the fine tradition of poets everywhere Awards: Writer’s Digest Honorable Mention in Poetry | USA Book News finalist | Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Award Bronze ISBN 13: 9781515232490 ISBN 10: 1515232492 To order paperback or e-book: http://bit.ly/ImperfectEchoes Proceeds go to Amnesty International
Inspired by Nobel Prize winner Czeslaw Milosz’s poem “Incantation” that lauds the power of human reason over the reoccurring and seemingly insane political realities, Howard-Johnson holds out hope but is not persuaded by trends that seem worse now than they were in Milosz’s time. A student of Suzanne Lummis, UCLA poetry instructor and the Fresno School of Poetry fronted by US poet laureate Philip Levine, she touches on the isms of the world—racism, ageism, even what might be termed “wallism” but is occasionally referred to as xenophobia. In her poem “Crying Walls,” she sounds a low warning reminiscent of Robert Frost: “Chains linked. Wire barbed / Krylon smeared. Feeble, / useless, unholy billboards,/ anything but mending walls.”
This book includes several poems inspired by Utah including "Population Dying" and "Utah's Song."
BLURBS
“Carolyn Howard-Johnson is most effective when her decisively chosen un-grandiloquent diction is subtle with historical reference, particularly when it comes to the unenviable march of war after war, wars witnessed in her lifetime…” ~ Elizabeth Kirschner, memoirist. #NorthStreetBookPrize winner
FROM WRITER’S DIGEST 25TH POETRY CONTEST JUDGE: Howard-Johnson’s ‘Imperfect Echoes’, at its best, is an exact rendering of the world we imagined was imaginary. . . . The word choice is exquisite, and the attention to craft makes an artificial formlessness from the shapes of a recognizable earth. For every dream, or hope, the book has, it is able to locate its illusion long enough to play fair with its mirage. The structuring of the book allows journey its passage, and though there is a destination, the author doesn’t allow the poems to hurry themselves too quickly through its lyrical foreshadowing. I admire[d] the shorter poems’ placement and their detachment from residence. The standout poem for me was ‘Little Red Hen and Friends’, and caused me to scribble [an] evocation. “Some of the lines in the book will take the reader’s guts and give them to a ghost- what language do you give your echo?”
“[Howard-Johnson’s] recollections may tear at your heart and mind until you come to ‘The Story of My Missed Connection in Minneola.’ I burst out laughing. This was pure comic relief amidst pathos.” ~ Eleanor F. J. Garmarsh, author
“Carolyn Howard-Johnson is articulate, gifted, insightful, iconoclastic, and a truly impressive literary talent. Imperfect Echoes: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small is an inherently fascinating, thoughtful, and thought-provoking read that is very highly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Poetry collections . . .” ~Jim Cox, Editor-In-Chief of Midwest Book Reviews
“Such a beautiful collection. You really touched the peacenik in me.” ~ Darcia Helle, Quiet Fury Books blog
“Every time I read the Preface, I get chills of joy.” ~ Marlan Warren, publicist and author
About Carolyn Howard-Johnson (Harpers Ferry, West Virginia Author)
Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s several careers prepared her for promoting her own and others’ books. She was the youngest person ever hired as a staff writer for The Salt Lake Tribune—”A Great Pulitzer Prize Winning Newspaper.” Writing features for the society page and a column under the name of Debra Paige gave her insight into the needs of editors, the very people authors must work with to get free ink. Being familiar with the way news is handled helps her see how different books fit into different news cycles.
Later, in New York, she was an editorial assistant at Good Housekeeping Magazine. She also handled accounts for fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert who instituted the first Ten Best-Dressed List. There she wrote media releases (then called press releases) for celebrity designers of the day including Christian Dior and produced photo shoots for Lambert’s clients.
She also worked as columnist, reviewer, and staff writer for the Pasadena Star-News, Home Décor Buyer, the Glendale News-Press (an affiliate of the LA Times), Myshelf.com, and others. She learned marketing skills both in college (University of Utah, and University of Southern California) and as founder and operator of a chain of retail stores. That molded her understanding of how authors might best partner with retailers to affect both of their bottom lines.
Carolyn’s experience in journalism and as a poet with a long almanac of published poets including the prestigious Poetry Magazine founded in 1912. Her experience as an author of fiction and nonfiction helped the multi award-winning author understand how different genres can be marketed more effectively. She was an instructor for UCLA Extension’s renowned Writers’ Program for nearly a decade and earned a certificate from that same school’s Instructor Development Program. She also studied writing at Cambridge University, United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University in Prague.
She turned her knowledge toward helping other writers with her multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, including her flagship book The Frugal Book Promoter, now published by Modern History Press in its third edition and her favorite, How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Her marketing campaign for the The Frugal Editor is in its second edition. It was the winningest book in the series including the Next Generation Indie Best Book Award well as their Best Marketing Award. She also has a multi award-winning series of HowToDoItFrugally books for retailers.
Howard-Johnson was honored as Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment by California Legislature members Carol Liu, Dario Frommer, and Jack Scott. She received her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing and the Diamond Award in Arts and Culture from her community's Library and Arts and Culture Commission. She was named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of fourteen women of “San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen” and Delta Gamma, a national fraternity of women, honored her with their Oxford Award.
Carolyn is a popular presenter at tradeshows (retail and writing) and writers’ conferences and has lost count of her radio-show guest spots. She is a actor and has appeared in TV commercials for the likes of Time-Life CDs, Marlboro, Blue Shield, Apple, Chinet, Lenscrafters, and Disney Cruise Lines (Japan).
Born and raised in Utah, Howard-Johnson raised her own family in sunny Southern California.
