UKIAH, Calif., July 13, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- A new book of poetry has an unusual combination of subjects-love and mental health. This rare mix can be attributed to the poet's background. William J. Russell has spent his entire professional life in the different fields of medicine such as nursing, counseling, and even teaching subjects on medicine. His new book of poems, The Seduction of Time Et al, shows how love and mental health are interconnected and opens our eyes to the unfortunate plight of those who wander our streets and the people who impact on and are in return impacted by them. For Russell, how we take care of our children, our aged, and the mentally ill, is a measure of the extent of our civilization. And California does not measure up to much.
A man of science as a weaver of verses seems to be an incongruity. But for Russell, poetry has always provided the human race a channel for looking at the innermost desires, urges, and hidden idiosyncrasies of our being. Russell cites Freud's statement about artists in general having known all along what he had laboriously researched on. Mental health is a fragile thread. For the poet, a better knowledge of self will improve mental health to a degree.
In a conference held many years ago, Russell spoke before an audience composed of social workers and the laity. Russell was asked how he goes on helping the mentally ill in the streets. His answer comes from a personal creed that he has stuck to for almost thirty years now. The creed spoke of the duty and reason for being. Russell has undoubtedly found his. In this new book of poems, he exposes the ineptitude of our mental health system and shares the frustrations of a person who has tried to make a difference.
About the Author
William J. Russell is retired from the U.S. Army Medical Service after twenty-four years. Mr. Russell has spent forty-three years within the medical arena. He has been teaching in one medical capacity or another for over thirty-five years usually in consonant with a medical, counseling, or nursing-type job. He has been teaching medical terminology at Mendocino College since 1987.
The Seduction of Time Et al -- By William J. Russell
Publication Date: 6/30/2004
Trade Paperback; $10.00; 69 pages; 1-4134-5165-9
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