Alan Atkinson

A Hard, Easy Way: With an Introduction by George Leone, Afterword by Bruce Mitchell Alan Atkinson

Alan Atkinson's insight into a depth of understanding of life is a central theme in this well-crafted and crucial collection of poetry. His kindness, love, generosity, and keen intellect are evident in this body of work. This small volume is a moving body of work and will delight anyone who appreciates poetry. Alan ". . . loved to associate with people, some quite caught up with self, some under the delusion that they were free of self, and some . . . in a perpetual struggle with self. With all of us, Alan conveyed a penetrating understanding and an accepting compassion. . . One day I came by his dorm room . . . I saw him smoking a cigar and so intent on his typing that he did not see me. He invited me in and began telling me about his irrepressible urge to write poetry. He said, 'I have to write poetry. It's who I am and it's what I must do.'"George Leone