Introduction

Welcome to “Poems with a Purpose”, the web site of author Don Lusk and information center for his new book Lessons From the Dead. This site also aims to foster an appreciation of poetry and introduce people to writing verse. It provides motivation to new writers by helping them see their words in print with ideas on self-publishing and the art of making books.

“Poems with a Purpose” proposes art that informs as well as entertains: poems and essays to help guide us through life; suggestions about finding inspiration for our art and for our lives; spiritual insights from those who have gone before about overcoming life’s trials. It includes ideas about writing poems for people who don’t like poetry, and poems that give solace by recounting the good things that God has given us.

My site hopes to interest people in writing to preserve our unique experiences. It proposes transmitting them through our writings so future generations can better understand us. Experience gained publishing my books shows readers how to begin writing poetry, and suggests ways to keep writing in spite of setbacks. Ideas for self-publishing are suggested to produce lasting books where our words are preserved and accessible. Suggestions are given for recalling our past in autobiographical form to benefit ourselves and families. Ideas for covers and illustrations are discussed to make our books more visually attractive.

My new book, Lessons from the Dead, is detailed on this site, and ordering information given. It contains ideas on most of these topics. A synopsis of the book is given along with a list of poems, essays and illustrations it contains. Samples of selected poems are provided to show the diverse nature of its contents. An author’s biography shows my background and other works I have written. Topics not covered in the book like appreciating poetry, writing verse, self-publishing and book making are detailed on separate web pages with links to sources that helped me.

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