Preface by LEIGH EDUARDO, British poet and musician.



I have never met Albert Russo and yet, through his writing, I feel I have had that privilege. He possesses that rare and enviable talent of being able to say what is important in a very few words. His contributions to the literary world are amazingly varied, reminding one of an intellectual butterfly - able to flit from one topic to another, but having first drained it of its essential qualities. Russo writes at all levels - a compulsive creator who is always going to have something important, or different , or both, to say.
His work reaches into the very soul of contemporary living. Here, one comes to grips with many contemporary problems, all beautifully crafted and possessing the Russo hallmark of subtle observation. Each poem is a gem in its own right.




"Albert Russo possesses that rare and enviable talent of being able to say what is important in a very few words. His contributions to the literary world are amazingly varied, reminding one of an intellectual butterfly - able to flit from one topic to another, but having first drained it of its essential qualities -, a compulsive creator who is always going to have something important, or different , or both, to say. Here, one comes to grips with many contemporary problems, all beautifully crafted and possessing the Russo hallmark of subtle observation. Each poem is a gem in its own right."





EXPECTANCY




there's a world at peace and there's a world at war

the frontiers between the two shift and overlap

like waves over the breakers at low tide

and as you watch the evening news

you feel your heart skitter across the water

on the safe side, or so you will yourself to believe

but when in the dead of night you switch off the bedlamp

the rumblings under your skin

at first distant and familiar

start sending out portentous signals

then, somewhere around the solar plexus

there's an expectancy of pain

searing as the alarm caused by a misfired thunder

it shoots through the arteries to the cortex

making the flesh quiver in its wake

and suddenly the echo of a reverberating crackle

turns your entire body into an electric web

so tightly packed you instinctively

embrace all the destructive power

of mankind's folly




N E W S ! N E W S ! N E W S !

Congratulations!



Your submission to Writer¿s Digest¿s most recent Self-Published Book Competition was chosen as an honorable mention in its category!



Your submission: The Crowded World of Solitude: The Collected Stories Category: mainstream/literary





As an honorable mention winner, you will be listed along with other winners in the March 2006 issue. To get a sample of what the listing will look like, see the August 2005 issue, which profiles our most recent winners. Soon you will receive a formal letter from our competitions department. That letter will be accompanied by a Notable Award Certificate and instructions on how to collect your $50 worth of Writer¿s Digest Books.



Once again, congratulations!




Chuck Sambuchino


Assistant Editor


Writer¿s Digest magazine






2008 BEACH BOOK BOOK FESTIVAL WINNERS! ATLANTIC CITY (May 3, 2008)





POETRY:



WINNER:


# "Weapon of Choice," Jeffery Martin



RUNNER-UP:

# "The Crowded World of Solitude: Volume 2," Albert Russo





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