Veteran writer J. E. Deegan, author of The Moments in Between, Limboland, and When I Was a Little Guy, shares twenty years of Christmas poetry and verse narratives, each dedicated to his wife and the spirit of the season in his new book.
Starting in 1997, Deegan composed a lengthy poem each Christmas, fusing fictional narratives and dreams with reminisces on the holiday season. Now he presents the culmination of two decades of his poetic endeavors.
"The collection consists of 21 long, narrative-style poems written for my wife June (I call her Junes) between 1997 and 2017. They cover a range of Christmas-related subjects – some are humorous, some more weighty – and in most of them, Junes saves Christmas from an impending misfortune. Most importantly, all convey my profound love for my beautiful Junes," says Deegan.
The book cover features an original piece by Stephanie Hertweck. An up and coming artist and illustrator, Stephanie was incredibly excited to team up with Deegan and the press on the project. Her previous work has been featured in Art Unleashed, the U. Arts Print Lab Exhibition, the William H. Ely Exhibition, and the Historical Westchester exhibition at the Westchester New York Habitat for Humanity. Among her accolades is the Henry Perry Leland Prize from the University of the Arts. Stephanie's full portfolio can be found here.
"Making book covers is my dream job. In college I was told that printed books were a dying industry, so I didn't have much hope for making a career out of it. The Christmas Poetry cover was my first job that produced an actual product. When I received my advance copy in the mail, I felt so thankful to Dawnbreaker Press and more hopeful than I had ever been that illustrating books was an attainable career for an upcoming illustrator like myself," she writes after seeing her work brought to life in Deegan's book.
For the team at Dawnbreaker Press, it was a unique opportunity to bring a veteran author and new illustrator together to craft a beautiful volume to celebrate the Christmas season.
Christmas Poetry is now available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book at Dawnbreaker Press's bookstore as well as every major online book retailer, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.