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Show Prose, Poetry, And Agj, Book Published In Dav Recently a collection of poetry, prose and interviews on the process of aging was published in a book form, with grants from the Davis School District and the Utah Arts Council. The work for this anthology was gathered from the elderly as well as from young people around the state. The purpose of combining com-bining two radically different perspectives on aging was to demonstrate that some sensitive sensi-tive exchange already exists between the young and the old, an exchange most of us are only vaguely aware of. THE BOOK is separated into three parts. The first part contains the poems, and it is here that the work of the aged and the young are juxtaposed. jux-taposed. The last two parts, prose and interviews, deal entirely with the aged. In fact, most of the book is given over to the views of the elderly. el-derly. The editors felt that it was time the aged spoke for themselves. In the introduc tion they specify: "One goal we've had for this book is to break down some of the myths of aging. The book portrays both the joys and pains of aging. It gives a "folk" portrait of aging through the eyes of the aged themselves." THE WRITING in this book is simple and disarming. Time after time the reader is taken off guard by the unself-conscious unself-conscious sensitivity of the authors. Beth Schick, a retired teacher from Davis County, wrote a short descriptive piece about an old woman. The narrator of the story (apparently (ap-parently also a retired teacher) describes one of her neighbors, an old woman who leaves her house only to buy groceries or to put out the garbage. The precise details of the description: the way the old woman combed her hair; what color dress she wore; the color of her skin; the tone of her eyes; the shape of her mouth; came together in a T1 old woman if, People h t unobtrusive Z her isolation comTOiiton,ne" many older book were no, sivemtheirwr-:. thelr relati0nsilf r Parens or ,,i around the block K People" to "atree ' cl'ched compar,;,;. ' Yety the end a : ?ne 'eels thai ih : has intuited generosity. thed(; that we've tr,V revered in the eld" j ' 'Besides Beth .fZ Kurt VanSteenwvW ' of lour other pet5;, Davis County are i,! f the anthology, !f." ! well know, ii si" define the full book like this, im Leslie Kelen writes WITH THE bo-h" finished, I began to , whom is it addresser, I we have had an aii, mind? How success!,: idea of juxtaposing s"j writing with the older people? ' He answers hisotj tion: The book l be. r, dicates the way i, dialogue between :r-and :r-and the elderly. Arc cent exchange...is i-bridge i-bridge between ge- an elusive and pert.: tainable inward re: tion. The bridge, e,-were e,-were not fully would not (and to. remove the great r. ficulties of gram; it would and, to strr; has made the aged ; itself more approach TO WHOM Are'-tiful Are'-tiful As We Go?" k L&J Kelen, publish: available lor Klir. tax and shipping !; Davis County School". The address is: Dav.: School District. If Aging-in- Schcwsr 20 North Main; Far-Utah Far-Utah 84025. |
