Odyssey in Progress (PB) (2022)

Odyssey in Progress presents through various styles of poetry the life experiences of Sandra Brown. Haiku #1 and My Odyssey serve as the starting points of Brown's poetic memoir. She becomes incarcerated for defending her life, but pieces such as Truth or Dare, reveal that prison is but one of many misfortunes imprisoning her long before she was locked up. The writer eloquently speaks her pain, passion, power, and purpose in A Prisoner's Medley, Redeliberations, and Final Thoughts. Brown's work is an artistic depiction of her experiences and responses to trials, triumphs, and a gamut of circumstances commensurate with the human experience. The collection takes readers through a vast range of the writer's situational conditions, positions, emotions, and actions. Odyssey in Progress maps Brown's journey through trauma, transformation, and transition into wholeness and emphasizes the power of forgiveness and resilience. On a collective level, Odyssey in Progress raises awareness about the need to address and heal social issues that impact women and other marginalized groups in their quest for wholeness, freedom, and self-actualization. Such pieces include 'Fro Po, ' Conversation with Rosa Parks, and From the Mouth of an Unnecessary Target. In between socio-individual spectrums, Haiku 6, Vitalessence, and Curiononsense, serve as reminders to just breathe and enjoy life on life's terms, as the ability to do so is required in order to empower ourselves and others. Lastly, Brown's passion for poetry inspired her to create pieces that celebrate the art. Ode to Poetry and Gregory's Gift celebrate the power of the pen; not only for Brown, poets, and readers of poetry everywhere