Poems, Prose, and Other Lies

Peter Whittlesey's first inspiration for writing and storytelling arose from reading when he was a boy, particularly Mark Twain and Will James. A few years later, when he was studying history at Westminster College, Whittlesey encountered the literary spirits of Jack Kerouac and J. D. Salinger in the stacks of McGill Library. Since then, he has been hauntingly guided by Kerouac and often wonders what treasures reside in J. D.'s bunker files.

Even so, it wasn't until many years later that Whittlesey really found his own way in writing upon his discovery of Dr. Gabriele Rico's Writing the "Natural Way." Her techniques for engaging the whole mind in the creative process proved to be invaluable.

With that knowledge, he has created Poems, Prose, and Other Lies. These verses and narratives explore the challenges of letting go, of becoming "Somebody Someday," and other subjects that arise from the ups and downs of everyday life. Whittlesey also spins personal tales in his prose from the story of 'The Little Black Cat" to the tale of "The Wood Boy: The Legend of Mount Misery," that draw us into their worlds.

In this debut collection, Whittlesey presents a whole that is as much the journey of a writer learning his craft as it is a refl ection of life in the wilderness that is our world today.