Prolific Press Has Published Lyrics from the Central Plateau by Joel Van Valin

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - Oct. 2, 2018 - PRLog -- Prolific Press Has Published Lyrics from the Central Plateau by Joel Van Valin via their wildly successful International Chapbook Series that is quickly taking the publishing world by storm! Many poets are aspiring to be published by Prolific Press because the press is quickly earning a reputation for publishing little-known writers alongside its more successful clients. According to Prolific Press, its only interest is in the quality of the work, not the pedigree of the writer, which flies in the face of nearly every other publishing platform in existence today. Despite the conventions of chapbook publishing in general. Prolific Press has stepped forward by including many of the elements found in more robust offerings, like an ISBN and Bar Code for its chapbooks, which sets the bar high for competitors in a chapbook publishing market widely known for minimal investments and small returns (if any).

About the book: Lyrics from the Central Plateau express the tension between the dominant culture and the developing world culture of Haiti as witnesses through the speaker serving the marginalized.

These poems are set in the remote place of Cerca, Haiti which is home to a resilient people who live off the little that the land yields. The poems express the anxiety, joy, regret, anguish, glory and affirmation the speaker trying to collaborate with the church, the villagers and his home in America to bring about peace, prosperity and justice to a small community which has suffered from the corruption, alienation, and ignorance of government powers – both foreign and domestic. The poems which appear on one level hopeless offer on a much deeper level the true spirit of the human condition's willingness to survive in the most unfavorable conditions because the Haitians themselves cling to the "hope buried deep in Haiti's great mountains. From the rugged geography to the lack of clean water, from those "who farm// In dust and stone" to those who are "ignorant of tomorrow's promise," the poems move seamlessly through hope and despair, faith and resilience, and death and resurrection. In world where the poor suffer and have little representation at the table of plenty, Lyrics from the Central Plateau gives a voice to the Haitian brother who cries out.

About the poet: Tim Gavin is an Episcopal Priest who serves as Head Chaplain of The Episcopal Academy. He has served The Episcopal Academy for over 30 years. In addition, he has supervised the school's partnership with St. Marc's School in Cerca, Haiti. The focus of the partnership rests on the principles that every community has its assets and can be developed to become self-sustainable. Therefore, Gavin has overseen the building of school in Cerca, development of clean water, the creation of a farm, and the annual operations of a medical clinic. His theological principles that all people share in the divine nature of God solidifies his faith that people, no matter how different their backgrounds, can work together to make the world a better place for all people. Gavin has been an educator for over 30 years and has taught at every age lever from pre-school through graduate school. His poems have appeared in many literary journals. He enjoys distance running and has retired from racing ultra-marathons and now enjoys running for the sake of running. He loves learning about other cultures and understanding the history and literature that articulates the life of those cultures. He lives with his wife in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania and has two adult sons.

Copies are available in the Prolific Press bookstore: https://prolificpress.com/bookstore/chapbook-series-c-14/...