Glass House

Velie, Dianalee

Rock Village Publishing

What Readers are saying: The Alchemy of Desire is an ecstatic collection of poems that literally and metaphorically affirms life and the power of poetry to heal and connect with the pulse beating of the world. The poems take you on a journey, from the powerful opening poem “In The Beginning” which ends with the couplet: “It will be my masterpiece. It will be my Genesis./ Everyone will know my name.” to the final title poem “The Alchemy of Desire,” in which “the power of love/reconstructs the universe”; Dianalee Velie affirms that power over and over again. This is a book that reminds of us to cherish and celebrate the people and places we love most and the courage it takes to do that. — Marjory Wentworth, South Carolina Poet Laureate I read Dianalee Velie’s The Alchemy of Desire over a long, quiet weekend, and in between Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, I went on a journey like none I’d ever been on before; I walked back into a world that was entirely different, because I was entirely different. In this rich, juicy, poignant, and sometimes hilarious collection, Velie celebrates what it is to be alive and human and sentient in this troubled and amazing world. At the core of each poem in this collection is the great heart of the poet herself, and what is even more critical than what is included in these poems is what is left out. There is restraint burning in the margins and stanza breaks. Dianalee Velie knows what it means to love and lose, and love and laugh, and walks the fine line between the two with the skill of a poet at the height of her power. Enjoy this beautiful ride! — Lisa Starr, Rhode Island Poet Laureate Emeritus Dianalee Velie’s collection of poems, The Alchemy of Desire, explores a woman’s journey through devastating loss to find a path of self-discovery and healing. Velie’s image-rich, mostly narrative poems propel the reader through a gamut of experiences, which include humor, sensuality, family, and responses to art, music, history and myth. The voice in the poems manifests an indomitable spirit, rising above unspeakable grief. In her poem “Unchained” Velie writes: Like the unchained performer, my soul twists like a snake around memories of Eden, a time before the disappearance of happiness. For the moment, I am unfettered, free of grief, crowing, like the rooster, for a new dawn, faithful I will find my way in the dark. — Lori Desrosiers, Editor, The Naugatuck River Review American Poetry, Love and Romance, Contemporary issues, Women Authors

The Alchemy of Desire: Poems

Literature & Fiction

Poetry

Plain View Press

While Dianalee Velie was teaching poetry in Italy, she composed these poems to reflect her love of the country and for her cousins in Santa Croce di Camerina, Sicily. Italian Lesson celebrates the sights and sounds of Italy-explorations of the local food & drink, sightseeing expeditions, and the lively spirit of the Italian people as they welcomed and shared their way of life. Come along on her Italian journey and you too will fall in love. "Page by page, we are served her sheer pleasure of being alive. Throughout Italian Lesson, imagery transcends the gastronomic to the historic and sacred." -Alexandria Peary, New Hampshire State Poet Laureate "I have never been to Italy, and now I have. These poems have given me this country through lovers' heightened senses: a wild and synesthetic journey." -Marie Harris, New Hampshire State Poet Laureate Emerita "Velie picks her poetic grapes, with care and insight, in poems that must be savored verse by verse. Che vino perfetto! Cin cin!" -Ala Khaki, poet, author of Return

Italian Lesson

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Blue Crystal Literary Magazine

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Books by Velie, Dianalee