Award- Winning Poet James W.A.’s Third Poetry Collection Releases
Finality of the Heart is a story-telling poetry collection told through four perspectives about the muse character Ella. Foundations gives the reader the backstory of the love story of Ella and the poet character James. Faith gives the reader an in-depth look into the way faith plays a part in any love story, and offers reflective pieces on forgiveness, God’s unconditional love, and the perseverance to not give up, Forever gives the reader the love story of Ella and James if it were to work out for the best, and Failure is about self-doubt, insecurity, and the grief of a broken heart. Releasing today from Willheart Publishing, James W.A. ‘s third poetry release is sure to take readers on a journey of the many facets of what makes up a human heart.
About the book: In another poetry collection, award-winning author James W. A. weaves the tale of a boy in love with a girl named Ella. Told across four sections, the themes in the individual poems progress from the newfound bliss of a budding relationship to the discernment of what it means for them, through the eyes of faith. From there, our story finds itself with two endings. In one, Ella and the speaker find lasting joy with each other and live their Forever. In another, the speaker is judged to be a Failure and must grapple with the sorrow of that future. No matter the true ending, this collection contains poems about love, loss, purpose, relationship with God and others, and what it means to embrace, for good or for ill, the Finality of the Heart.
About the author: James W. A. was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area in Florida and now happily lives just outside Kansas City, Missouri. After graduating from the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg’s Honors College, he published his first book, In the Library, in 2015 and his second, the award-winning poetry collection Desolation and Epiphany, in 2023.
Poetry from James W. A. has also been featured in the literary magazines Neptune, Nectar,and The Secret Society of Poetry and he has showcased and facilitated workshops locally through KC Poetic Underground. With his newest collection, Finality of the Heart, James W. A. capitalizes on his long-time love for romantic poetry and penchant for dramatic melancholy to share a meaningful tale of duality he hopes will last through the ages.
“Private I” is a gripping new adult thriller that weaves together elements of intrigue, romance, murder, and artificial intelligence. The story follows Paloma, a young woman on the brink of starting her college journey in Machine Intelligence (MI) at MITI, hoping to build upon her grandfather’s secret technological innovations. Her plans are violently derailed when she returns home to find her grandfather tortured and killed, with evidence suggesting his murderers were after Marlowe, Paloma’s MI companion of 15 years.
Forced to go on the run, Paloma must navigate a complex web of potential threats – from tech corporations to government agents to anti-tech terrorists – while protecting both herself and Marlowe. The novel explores contemporary questions about machine consciousness, human-AI relationships, and the societal implications of advanced artificial intelligence through a noir-inspired lens. What sets “Private I” apart is its unique dual narrative, featuring the internal monologue of both Paloma and her AI companion, offering a fresh perspective on classic noir themes while addressing today’s headlines about AI development and its impact on society. In a world where AI is no longer just a buzzword but a reality that has reshaped every aspect of society, “Private I” explores the very real implications of machine intelligence on human trust, relationships, and accountability. The novel is an unflinching look at how we navigate a future where the lines between human and machine are increasingly blurred. For fans of speculative fiction and sci-fi thrillers, “Private I” offers a gripping narrative that combines edge-of-your-seat mystery with profound philosophical questions about AI and humanity. It will appeal to readers who enjoy complex, thought-provoking stories like those of Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, and other tech-noir pioneers. Tech enthusiasts will be excited by a new take on AI’s evolution and its implications for personal relationships, while lovers of psychological thrillers will appreciate the tensions among human characters in a world fractured by its willingness to be dominated by intelligent machines. “Private I” will resonate with readers who are fascinated by AI, technology’s role in society, and the ethical quandaries that will soon be upon us all. It’s a compelling blend of mystery, noir, and thriller, all wrapped in a deeply human story about love, betrayal, and survival. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when machines think like humans and humans have to trust machines with their lives…this book is for you.
“Private I” is available on Amazon. The authors are grateful for any reviews you can share on Goodreads and other social media platforms!
Ashlei E. Watson is an American novelist, known for her work that blends speculative fiction with deep philosophical themes.Jill Fain Lehman, PhD, is a Senior Project Scientist at Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute with over 40 years of experience in artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and machine learning. She has collaborated with leading organizations like Disney Research, The Rand Corporation, and Carnegie Learning. Jill is the co-author of Private I, a speculative fiction novel exploring the complexities of AI, consciousness, and trust.Paul Pangaro, PhD, is an entrepreneur, researcher, and educator with over 30 years of experience applying cybernetics to human-machine systems. He has founded multiple startups and now teaches at Carnegie Mellon University, where he is establishing a Laboratory for Cybernetics.
Poetry is my favorite type of writing because it is the format I’m most comfortable and proficient in that also allows me to tell the stories I want to. I tend to feel emotions strongly and I discovered a long time ago that writing was a good outlet for these emotions, be them positive or negative. In writing a poem, I can let my feelings drive the piece and jam as much of that into a single poem as possible or take the angle I want to. The freedom that comes with poetry is staggering, more so than any other form of writing I’ve tried out and that leads to some fun experimenting that other forms don’t always offer.
I’ve also found that I’m not very good at telling a long form story in prose or sticking to the writing process of one long enough to get it all out. I’ve dabbled in trying to write novels or short stories before, but I find that I often am missing a piece: either I have some really cool characters with no plot, a great beginning and end with no middle, a beginning and middle without an end, or some permutation thereof. In a poem, I can tell a concise story or showcase an emotion, without getting super bogged down in the details or “lore” of a story. I guess you could say I like the short-form better and I think they can be just as powerful stories, if done right.
2. Tell me about your most recent collection.
Desolation and Epiphany, my most recent poetry book, is a collection of 95 individual poems, split into two parts (technically three, but the last is just a conclusion mostly). The first part, Desolation, contains poems that are somber, depressing, angry, darker things like that. The second part, Epiphany, contains poems that are uplifting, joyful, enlightened, spiritual, and things of that nature. The collection overall is meant to show a progression; some themes and individual poems in the first part find their resolutions and counterparts in the second, although most pieces can be read as stand-alone poems.
Desolation and Epiphany holds a special place in my heart for a few reasons. Firstly, it’s been a long time in the works. The oldest poem in the book is about 13 years old and there are some from every stage of my life since then. In some ways, this book is my “greatest hits” of poems I’ve been writing over the years, and once I felt I had enough that fit well together, I compiled the collection and published it.
It’s also a sort of “rebranding” for me as a writer. My first collection, In the Library, was a much darker, more psychological book that was indicative of my headspace at the time. As I’ve grown as a person, my poetry evolved too and I felt the desire to leave that sort of dark worldview behind. That said, I figured it would be a shame to waste poems I worked hard on, so the idea to have the two halves and show both sides was born. As a meta theme, it speaks to my belief that we as people shouldn’t pretend that the bad times, the things that have happened to us and the mistakes we’ve made , didn’t happen, but rather we should put them in their proper place and learn from them, so as to grow stronger as we move into the future. Publishing this collection was kind of therapeutic in that way, like accepting the past and showing both myself and the world how much I’ve grown and how much stronger I’ve become and that’s a great feeling.
Finally, this collection features some incredible artwork from one of the greatest artists in the world on the cover and in its corresponding promotional items and that’s made it even stronger as a complete book. I think this may be the only time I’d want a book to be judged by its cover and I’m super proud to showcase that artwork along with the poetry inside.
3. Tell the backstory of one of your poems.
I think the poem in Desolation and Epiphany that has gone on the most interesting journey is “Just an Observation.” Found in the second part of the book, the message and theme behind it is pretty clear. I think most of us know someone that, despite the fact that we think they’re incredible, is really hard on themself. I have a friend like this, one of my most favorite people in the world, who used to make a lot of self-deprecating comments and jokes (she’s gotten a lot better about it now, to her credit) and so I was inspired to counter this and write about her strengths instead, in a heartfelt yet somewhat comedic manner.
The interesting thing about this poem (other than it being the first poem I wrote about this particular individual) is that at one point it was meant to be used as song lyrics. At a certain time in my creative journey, I dabbled in learning how to write music to complement my words. In hindsight, perhaps it was strange that I both played bass guitar and was learning music theory, but jokes aside, I wanted to take a poem I’d written and write a melody to go along with it. After looking through some of my recent writings, I chose the one I thought would fit best and took what was once “Just an Observation” and added music to go with it. Thus the song version of this piece was born.
In my amateurishness, I could not sing and play at the same time and in my foolishness could not figure out how to record the bass-played melody correctly and so I put this piece in my metaphorical back pocket until such a time I could present the world (and this girl) with the complete “banger” I had sought. Then, one night in a church in Colorado, I had an idea: I could ask my cousin, musical master and melodic virtuoso, for assistance in really honing in the tune and recording. With her guidance and the powerful fusion of bass and piano, we came up with a version that I was quite proud of. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we did not record a vocal version and so both parts, music and poem, were incomplete on their own and fell short of what I hoped for in the finished piece.
Later still, when I decided to focus solely on poetry and began compiling the poems that would make up Desolation and Epiphany, I knew I had to include this notable Observation of mine and so I took to editing the piece once again. Thus this poem turned song turned back into a poem and found its completion and home in my newest book and is honestly one of my personal favorites in it. If I ever get the desire to pick up music again, I’d like to revisit it, maybe with guitar, but in the meantime, I think this version is the best one of it.
4. What are three poets you recommend?
Not including the classics, Billy Collins is one of my favorite contemporary poets that I always recommend to people. My uncle got me one of his books a few years ago and I’ve read most of the others since then. I really like how he can capture a powerful emotion in a small amount of space and ranges from wistful to whimsical and everything in between.
I recently discovered the works of Flor Ana after meeting her at a Fair in Ft. Lauderdale. I found her poetry really interesting, both in themes and in the form her poems are written in. She’s doing some really great stuff down in South Florida too; you can really tell she has a passion for poetry and life.
Finally, something of a guilty pleasure of mine that I won’t apologize for is the poetry of Kristina Mahr. The sheer volume of poetry that she writes and with such a dedicated, focused approach is something I personally greatly admire and she’s definitely top of my “famous authors I’d love to meet and collaborate with” list. I can read her poetry in the same way that I devour a tube of Pringles in one sitting: I know it’s gonna bum me out afterwards, but I’m doing it anyways and enjoying every second.
5. I am currently reading…
While I mostly read poetry books these days, I’m actually reading something a little different right now. It’s a book about living a heroic and virtuous life called “Deep Adventure: The Way of Heroic Virtue” by Bear Woznick. Theological books are probably my second favorite genre and this one has some really great insights and ways of explaining things I’d known in a new light that I’m thoroughly enjoying.
Check out James W.A.’s collection Desolation and Epiphany today. Available wherever books are sold.
Bookish and Music Based Gifts for The Smart Cookie in your Life!
It’s the time of the year (although I know 2020 has been one of those years) when you put yourself and all you want out of your mind for a whole month, and think about the people you love and how you could possibly make their lives better with a gift that screams them. Well, I’m not an expert on the best gifts for people who like fashion, home goods or even monster trucks. I am an expert on all things books and music and I have the perfect list of gifts for the Smart Cookie in your life.
In the beginning of the year I began reading this book and found it helped me have something positive and meaningful to reflect on each day. No matter your creed or color, this book is a helpful devotional style book which helps anyone feel lighter and more focused on what they bring to the table instead of what they lack.
This was my 2020 introduction to National Poetry Month and it definitely started the month off on the right note. I found it to be incredibly simple yet so telling which is my favorite reason for reading poetry. Perfect for non-poetry readers and poetry readers alike. My favorite poem would have to be this one right here although more are included in my review piece at the link above.
Sometimes you read a book of poetry and it absolutely hits you right at the center of your pain but instead of placing a band-aid over it, it was salve for the wounds I suffered following a season of double trauma. It was everything I didn’t know I needed post-trauma. And I thank Jaqueline Whitney for putting her words, her heart, her story out into the world because they helped me heal even more.
By far, this was one of my favorite books I read this year. Not only because I am friends with the author but because her writing is so lyrically brilliant. I can’t tell you how powerful this story was. It’s crazy to me that this book took twenty years to come to fruition but wow, it’s absolutely worth all the work that went into writing it, and even more so, worthy of every ounce of buzz and nomination it has gotten since it’s release.
Sometimes you read a novel at the exact right time and it makes you nostalgic when you didn’t have to excuse you actually enjoying Fitzgerald or Murakami or even Garcia Marquez back in high school. If you like any of those writers, please consider Good Brave People as it reads with poetic prose but has the mystique and literary stamina of all three writers combined. It’s hard to believe this is his debut novel.
In preparation for putting out my own book, I began posting some poetry of mine to gain exposure for my collection as any writer does on social media. I connected with this writer and it was apparent right away we both were heartbroken and haunted by our twin flames. A twin flame is a spiritual concept where two people are actually two halves of the same soul so they complete each other, and sometimes the connection can span many lifetimes. They don’t always achieve union every lifetime but every lifetime causes them to cycle karmic cleansings and self-healing to achieve their highest selves until they achieve union or entirely mirror one another.
Opening up the discussion about mental health by sharing her own personal story about her struggles with anxiety, it’s written in a devotional style so it is an easy read and helps people who suffer with anxiety through to defeating it once and for all.
Shameless plug but my brand new poetry book is now available in paperback and ebook format. It’s already gotten 4.6 stars on Goodreads and even resonated with a Bookstagrammer in India. Overall, I hope that by me writing this to heal, it offers you the same no matter what you are going through or have gone through.
Launched in 2018, we now have over 14 products and 7 charities that we support. The newest designs are the mask that helps Save the Children and the ESPRESSO YOURSELF fanny pack that helps end hunger.
Coming in 2021: a pet friendly design that celebrates that our furry friendships are fur-ever.
2020 was the year my favorite band came back with new music and it gave me purpose yet again. Their Tangerine EP was a blessed fruit in the desolate year that was 2020 but it’s worth a listen and it’s less than $5.
Dare I say it but when I sat down to listen to their third studio album, I actually thought it was going to be sub-par but instead like their two previous works, not one bad song on it. So much strong lyricism and inventive musicality that again changes their sound as a band. Watch out 5SOS are always evolving. Try to stay CALM about it.
If 2020 ever needed a savior it would have to be T. Swift. She showed up with a folk pop album written entirely in 3rd person and it was exactly what our quarantine playlist needed, and our souls needed too.
You ever been given an opportunity just when you were about to give up and you literally wondered why you were picked. Well, the chance to review this album came like to me this year and it’s a wonderful body of work. My favorite song is probably Who I Am? on this album but the entire work takes you back to a youthful viewpoint and you all know how much I love being nostalgic.
Lecrae is my favorite rapper so when I heard he was releasing new music in the year of all years I was restored that God truly is watching over us and is walking with us, no matter how much we wrestle with the Holy Ghost.
You ever fall in love with someone and their potential of being with you was all in your head? Well, if not, if you’ve ever seen the good in goodbye, Thank U Next is Ariana’s most powerful work to date. It shares struggles with mental health, heartbreak, grief, and feeling too needy.
Max’s second major label studio album is a colorful work full of strong musiciality and lyricism and you will not be able to stop yourself from dancing to the jam Working for The Weekend.
While this one wasn’t my favorite, it definitely will get you dancing, jamming out, and it will make you smile. My unexpected favorite on this one is Champagne Problems.
9. Inspired by True Events by Tori Kelly
Musical Notes episode for this one coming soon but I was surprised by the fact that this charted so low for a Tori Kelly album. My favorite song on this one would have to be Coffee.
Fine, I’ll admit it. I’m secretly in love with Luke Combs solely because he has a beard, drinks beer, and wears crocs. Haha. Well he’s newly married to the prettiest girl but his artistry sure has stolen my heart. He writes amazing songs. His song Beautiful Crazy stopped me in my tracks and I am still not over it.
Wishing you all an espressive Holiday season! Cheers to 2021!
The Smart Cookie Philes 