Living
in the Heart,
Poems by Kelley Jean White
A
practicing physician, Kelley Jean White approaches poetry as yet another
healing art. Her tough lyrics are songs of persistence, survival, and
glimmers of joy in a difficult world. In Living in the Heart, White
understands how hard the heart must work—as both muscle and emotional
center.
Sample
Poems by Kelley Jean White
“Your poetry is inspiring and moving [in how] you portray the suffering
of you patients, the immediacy of your presence with and for them. The
poems of your personal experiences, family, and your commitment to your
community demonstrate the depth of your concern and breadth of your skill.”—William
Hetznecker, MD, Professor Emeritus of Child Psychiatry, Temple University
Medical School
“She speaks of the violence, poverty, and abuse among the families
of her patients and in the community she serves; and she intimates that
poetry is, for her, a natural healing response. Making poems may well
help Dr. White ameliorate her own pain, and, by transforming the children’s
stories, may also in some way assist in their healing.”—Jack
Coulehan, MD, author, Medicine Stone; poetry editor, Journal of Medical
Humanities
“With a sharp eye for detail and a penchant for uncovering the most
discomforting secrets and most bizarre practices embraced by humankind
though the centuries, Kelley Jean White presents the reader with…portraits
of the most persistent components to our lives.”—Joseph Verrilli,
editor of Shoes
Kelley Jean White was born and raised in New Hampshire, has degrees from
Dartmouth College and Harvard Medical School, and has been a pediatrician
in inner-city Philadelphia for the past twenty years. Her work appears
in many poetry journals; her works include a full-length collection of
poems related to her medical practice, The Patient Presents (The
People’s Press); a chapbook, I Am Going to Walk Toward the Sanctuary
(Via Dolorosa Press), and other publications.
ISBN 1933456132, 92 pages, $17.00
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