Will you tell us about your book?
On Summer Solstice Road is a collection of poems rooted in mid-twentieth century America and expands from that era of disruption and exploration. Over half a century later upheaval and terror are still watchwords in society, so my poetry strives to balance stories of evolution, redemption and hope.
What inspired you to write it?
I spent my childhood fearing the bomb, was a teenager during The Summer of Love and studied filmmaking at Loyola Marymount University during the Watergate Era. These are the circumstances that inform my writing with references to pop culture and mid-20th Century history.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Although I try to approach life in a linear fashion, my writing keeps circling back to sensations and actions of earlier eras as I encounter the next challenge. This book is a compendium of experiences. Perhaps my next collection of poems will focus on the sensations themselves.
Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?
This is a fun read that carries as much humor and fantasy as the aforementioned upheaval and terror. It is not quite as serious as that description might make it sound.
If money were not an object, what would you be doing right now?
My to-do list is a mile long. It includes such things as completing a screenplay and producing the movie, extensive travel to produce photo essays and more poetry. It also includes the time for just sitting still to read, watch and write.
© 2016 Catherine Auman
