The Crowded World of Solitude Volume 2

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.' EXPECTANCYthere’s a world at peace and there’s a world at warthe frontiers between the two shift and overlap like waves over the breakers at low tideand as you watch the evening newsyou feel your heart skitter across the wateron the safe side, or so you will yourself to believebut when in the dead of night you switch off the bedlampthe rumblings under your skinat first distant and familiarstart sending out portentous signalsthen, somewhere around the solar plexusthere’s an expectancy of pain searing as the alarm caused by a misfired thunderit shoots through the arteries to the cortexmaking the flesh quiver in its wakeand suddenly the echo of a reverberating crackle turns your entire body into an electric webso tightly packed you instinctivelyembrace all the destructive powerof mankind’s follyN 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 RussoJM Northern Media LLC, Beach Book Festival - 323-665-80807095 Hollywood Blvd. Suite 864, Hollywood, CA 90028Bruce Haring - email: b