[Terese Coe]

Dave

I'll look forward to reading "Ludlow" when it comes out. It sounds as if you've got hold of a fine story, and adding personal and family experience to that has been what makes it compelling for you. I'd go even farther and say that without these personal elements, that compelling quality would have been lost to you and your readers.

You write, "I do not believe men will ever tire of telling or hearing stories," and of course this is true. I would go even farther: human beings need their experiences to be presented in verse narratives. It helps them see the wholeness and, to some extent, the meaningfulness of the experiences. Not to mention the considerable pleasure of re-living it (this is true even if the experience was tragic, naturally). And yes, as you say, in the right hands narrative verse has "more clarity, drive and economy than prose."

One need only look at Shakespeare, Lorca, and Moliere to see the power of verse drama.