Unexpected surprising books: OTHER PLACES, OTHER TIMES stories by Robert Wexelblatt, NOT TOO LATE, essays edited by Solnit, Lutunatabua, WOMAN ON THE RUN poetry by Carla Sarett, THE PLEASURE PLAN memoir by Laura Zam

Other Places, Other Times by Robert Wexelblatt (Pelekinesis) is a collection of twenty-six short historical fictions. Thirteen of the stories are about Chen Hsi-wei, an imaginary peasant-poet of the Sui period, circa 600 C.E. As a boy, he served the emperor and turned down material rewards for an education. He became a poet (though nobility found an educated peasant as implausible as a flying pig), Hsi-wei travelled the empire making verses, along with straw sandals for customers. 

He often set up a sign for sandals in marketplaces, before looking for a corner to sleep in an inn or stable.  Often Hsi-wei's curiosity about people and places led him to incongruous events and mysteries. The poem, The Madness of Nowa  sums up a strange murder he resolved for a skeptical magistrate. At a seasonal festival, a chance meeting inspired rare insight about time, nature and men. Unknown truths, injustices, fateful sorrow inspired poems.  After some years, his reputation preceded his travels, as rich and poor quoted lines to him that he may have forgotten. 

Grand ladies and influential men provided comfortable respite from the road, and, when his travelling days were over, he was gifted a small house with a garden. These stories, and resulting poems, preserved a historic figure--no less real for being imaginary. I imagined Chen Hsi-wei's history in a museum scroll, delicate figures and landscape with calligraphy.

Philharmonia and Luciana di Parma are two of my favorites, among Wexelblatt's other stories. Both are about talented young women in times uncongenial to women. In an 18th century European city, a female cellist auditioned in a "blind"competition for a position. What is to be done, when she wins and the prestigious orchestra is paralyzed with chaos? Luciana di Parma, set in Renaissance Italy, is about a brilliant 14-year old prodigy, a daughter of a duke, fated to be a political pawn in marriage. Yet she finds a surprising destiny.    

Wexelblatt, a Professor of Humanities, has published eight short story collections. While humanities (along with history) may be regarded as "impractical," there is much purpose in these stories. I was amazed and entertained. There is wonder in his wit. 

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While the existential angst about climate seems the background of our lives, there are unexpected books that fuel hope. The Experiment's excellent How to Save the World for Just A Trillion Dollars made me realize scientists had already developed ideas that work. If governments remain paraplyzed, perhaps Musk and Bezos might wrap their cash around the Mothership. Gates, is already reforesting among other planet initiatives.

NOT TOO LATE: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility is a surprising book (Haymarket Books). Edited by Rebecca Solnit & Thelma Young Lutunatabua, there are 22 essays from  activists around the globe. Students, scientists, teachers, writers, artists, from many countries, of different ages and backgrounds--effecting change. The essayists are clear-eyed about impending disaster; what's at stake, the timeline. They also have the grit to have hope. 

Among the essays issues that moved me: To Hell With Drowning by Pacific Islander Julian Aguan (irreplaceable culture in high risk locations), The Asteroid and the Fern by scientist Jacquelyn Gill (clues about survival in the permafrost, beasts who perished and plants that survived). How the Ants Moved the Elephants in Paris by Renato Redentor Constantine (how small forces can effect big change) and From the Hunger Strike with Love, Nikayla Jefferson (her support work with starving student demonstrators). 

In Editor Rebecca Solnit's essay, Difficult Is not the Same as Impossible, she points out a pragmatism not obvious from headlines:

"Over the past two decades, breakthroughs in technology have made renewables a genuine alternative to fossil fuel for electricity generation, one that is rapidly expanding across the world. This means we can leave the age of fossil fuel behind. The cost of solar dropped 90% between 2010 and 2020, and wind is not far behind. Solar has been dubbed "the cheapest energy in history" by the International Energy Agency, which pivoted a few years ago to recognize the urgency of the energy transition and the rapid decline of fossil-fuel extraction.... "                                                         

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Among unexpected, surprising books was Carla Sarett's WOMAN ON THE RUN (Alien Buddha Press). This volume of  entertaining "knowing" poems, is poignantly on target for the title. These poems are narratives of a woman's flight-- from and to herself, meanings past-present and the "no sense" reality visible in coffee shops, street life, subways, portraits and music fleeting as time.  In 32 poems, catch her, if you can.

@2023 Carla Sarett, WOMAN ON THE RUN (Alien Buddha Press). First appeared in ONE ART,

Woman on the run

you know the story

a woman is seeking,

you know,

and she meets,

you know

and everything seems fine until

marriage,

well, you know. her mother,

his mother,

and couldn't he,

and couldn't she,

and really, who could with...

and no money.

and children, oh, the children, 

and maybe if he,

and maybe if she,

but no one expected

well, you know.

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THE PLEASURE PLAN: One Woman's Search for Sexual Healing (Health Communications Inc.-Simon & Schuster) by Laura Zam is a health guide and memoir few women would have the courage to write. Based on her essays in The New York Times; Modern Love column and Salon, this book is a call to action for women, whose sexual health isn't just neglected but taboo to discuss. It is also a love story.  At 45, Zam met the love her life and married, only to find that she was unable to enjoy sex. 

In fact, 50 percent of adult women have some form of sexual difficulty at some point in their lives, preventing them from enjoying sex. Physical pain, lack of desire for a beloved partner are often not openly discussed with partners or friends. Childhood sexual abuse is also private.  Women are taught to "forget" problems and search for "love and romance." If fortunate, they will appeal to a partner they can love. With the double standard alive, erotica for women is fairly invisible. 

While sexual education for a generation of young men has been sourced in the porn industry, a generation of young women have felt pressure to conform to commercial male  expectations about sexual behavior and "sexiness." For some, depersonalization has made them question not the "standards" but themselves. Some women opt out of sex or ignore their feelings, rather than admit they want a decent sex life. Laura Zam relates the shame and embarrassment of feeling "bedroom broken" that led her to pursue The Pleasure Plan.  Visiting medical and mental health professionals was obvious but other resources took research. First she had to catalogue objectives for a soul-satisfying sex life.

 The Pleasure  Plan is a roadmap for sexual healing that empowers women to speak up, seek help, and take charge of their health. Though initially reluctant, Zam's husband agreed to accompany her on this journey. They visited 15 healers, tried 30 pleasure-enhancing methods (including hypnosis with a bawdy therapist; Tantra with a geriatric mistress; and cutting edge workshops in desire, arousal, and orgasm.) She also learned about pelvic floor mishaps, hormonal imbalances, and female erections. It was a real sexual education. They could learn what was relevant to them, individually and together.

The memoir part of the book, interlaced with the research, shows the painful work of emotional recovery from child abuse, from horrific family stories. Zam, like others, thought all that was in the past. But the effects of emotional memory reverberate during sex. The process of  The Pleasure Plan helped Zam and her husband grow, in and outside the bedroom. In this #MeToo era, partners can learn from Zam's journey how to support a significant other who's been affected. In this story, Her healing becomes their healing. She also gives a clear view of how medical and mental health professionals might better serve women with sex problems. 

The Pleasure Plan has an honesty and audacity that makes you think about humanity in a way AI can't.  The birthright of being human begins with sexual pleasure. Our continuity depends on it,  Here's an invitation to make your own Pleasure Plan. 

S.W.