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WORK TITLE: Reflections of the Heart
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY:
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NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Male.
EDUCATION:College graduate.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
MIILITARY:Served in U.S. Air Force.
AWARDS:Poet of the Year, International Society of Poets, 1999; awards from United Poets Laureate International, 2015, 2016.
WRITINGS
Author of other books of poetry, including Exploring the Heart, Awakening the Mind, 2007.
SIDELIGHTS
Jeffrey H. Williams, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, writes poetry with the goal of inspiring others. “My first poem was written for my father when I was a freshman in college,” he related in a blog post on his website, Expressions within My Heart. “I heard the stress in his voice as we spoke on the phone and once we ended our conversation, I wrote and mailed him a poem entitled Relax My Friend. I had no idea that that poem would open an important new aspect of my life.”
He continued writing poems during college and much of his Air Force career, although there was a period of ten years when he did not produce any. One day he resumed writing, as quickly as he had stopped, and he has gone one to craft hundreds of poems and publish several volumes of his work. He has given poetry readings at his Air Force base and other venues, and written poems for special occasions such as weddings and anniversaries. One of his poems, 1991’s “Mission Accomplished,” honors the history of the Strategic Air Command and is on permanent display at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska. His other works deal with life’s joys and challenges, overcoming obstacles, spirituality, and the importance of relationships.
He began writing Reflections of the Heart in 2007 but worked on it for nearly a decade before publishing it. The volume covers what he calls his life’s journey, including his relationship with his late partner, Jennifer, and the journeys of friends and family members. “I wrote Reflections of the Heart so that I could share my belief that faith, hope, and love are the cornerstones for building healthy relationships with God and those important to us,” he commented in another blog post on his site. In the poems, he reflects on various stages of life and love, as well as various emotions, from disappointment and depression to renewed hope. One entry, “Living with Faith,” offers this advice: “If I decide to celebrate this journey traveled, / the people blest whose paths have crossed with mine, / I know what you shall reveal; / Love is found when least expected, / even when you think you are alone.”
A Kirkus Reviews contributor praised Reflections of the Heart as inspirational and accessible. Williams “delivers these life lessons with energy but also with a sense of humility that makes them both plausible and attractive,” the critic remarked. His style is informal and conversational, but that is usually an asset rather than a flaw, the commentator observed. The critic summed up the volume as “an accomplished collection of limpid, insightful verse.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2018, review of Reflections of the Heart.
ONLINE
Jeffrey H. Williams website, http://www.expressionswithinmyheart.com (July 17, 2018).
Quoted in Sidelights: "I wrote Reflections of the Heart so that I could share my belief that faith, hope, and love are the cornerstones for building healthy relationships with God and those important to us."
"My first poem was written for my father when I was a freshman in college. I heard the stress in his voice as we spoke on the phone and once we ended our conversation, I wrote and mailed him a poem entitled Relax My Friend. I had no idea that that poem would open an important new aspect of my life."
Growing up in Washington, D.C., offered Jeffrey H. Williams a variety of opportunities to write school reports about memorable and historical experiences. However, in college he began writing poetry as a way to lift up his family and friends. Then, as today, his talent for motivating others through poetry continues its journey.
Jeffrey’s gift for inspirational writing is no stranger to recognition, his poem Mission Accomplished resides on permanent display at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum in Nebraska. His selection by the International Society of Poets as its 1999 Poet of the Year, along with his 2015 and 2016 awards from the United Poets Laureate International, affirm the impact of his poetry both nationally and internationally. Jeffrey completed a career in the United States Air Force and now shares his hope-reviving messages through public speaking engagements, poetry readings, and his poetry books. Reflections of the Heart is his sixth book of poetry.
Blog posts:
What inspired Reflections of the Heart
ASIADMIN BLOG 0 0
If you were given the opportunity to inspire and motivate others by sharing significant emotional events in your life, would you? That is the question I answered, yes, as I began developing Reflections of the Heart in 2007 just after publishing my fifth book poetry. It took another nine years before I believed it was ready for publication.
I was given the gift of inspiring, encouraging and enlightening others through poetic thought. Therefore, I wanted to bring together a collection of poems that honors the thriving nature instilled within the human spirit. Reflections of the Heart was an opportunity to encourage the sharing of emotions. I wanted my words to motivate you to openly and honestly tell those important in your life how you feel about them as well as how together you can succeed through the challenges that life offers.
Through my personal journey in the first two chapters of building a strong loving relationship with my late partner, Jennifer, during our sixteen years together, to the journeys shared by friends and family throughout the remainder of the book, I touch on at least one experience that has crossed everyone’s path. In life there will be obstacles, there will be doubts, there will be mistakes but with faith, hope and love there are few limits to our success.
I wrote Reflections of the Heart so that I could share my belief that faith, hope, and love are the cornerstones for building healthy relationships with God and those important to us. Reflections of the Heart is your opportunity to engage in an emotional rollercoaster ride that will strengthen your understanding and awareness of these important cornerstones.
About The Author
ASIADMIN BLOG 0 0
I believe we are given a variety of gifts and talents in life. Whether we reject them or incorporate them into our life’s journey may define the level of our personal growth as well as the positive influence we have on others. I never imagined that I would be writing poetry and yet here I am six books and over 500 poems later I am still amazed that I write poetry.
My first poem was written for my father when I was a freshman in college. I heard the stress in his voice as we spoke on the phone and once we ended our conversation, I wrote and mailed him a poem entitled Relax My Friend. I had no idea that that poem would open an important new aspect of my life.
After completing college and receiving my commission the USAF, I began my Air Force career. At that time, I realized most of my poems were inspired by family events or personal venting to relieve stress. There was a period of time, about 10 years, when I did not write a single poem and I did not miss it. Then as suddenly as I had stopped, I began writing poems again. I showed my work to a colleague and she encouraged me to get it published. She said that people need to know they are not alone and my poems provide them that knowledge and inspiration. Over the next four years, I wrote almost 140 poems and self-published 3 books. I performed poetry readings in the local community and at base events. I began receiving requests to write personalized poems for anniversaries, birthdays and even weddings. I began realizing that I had been given this blessing to share with and use for the benefits of others.
In 1991, I wrote Mission Accomplished to honor the history of the Strategic Air Command which was used throughout the closing ceremonies of the Command. In 1999, I was selected as Poet of the Year by the International Society of Poets and in 2015, 2016; I received awards from the United Poets Laureate International. While I am proud and honored for this recognition and validation, I get the greatest pleasure from someone reading one of my poems and saying Jeffrey you really understand. As someone who shares his poetry with others, I understand and accept my responsibility for ensuring my poems are both grammatically correct and without spelling errors, unless either is done intentionally. I also accept that this talent is entrusted to my care and I will cherish it and use it for the better of humankind as long as the as the Almighty guides my heart and hand.
Quoted in Sidelighss: "delivers these life lessons with energy but also with a sense of humility that makes them both plausible and attractive."
"An accomplished collection of limpid, insightful verse."
Print Marked Items
Williams, Jeffrey H.: REFLECTIONS OF THE HEART
Kirkus Reviews.
(Mar. 15, 2018):
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Williams, Jeffrey H. REFLECTIONS OF THE HEART Westbow Press (Indie Poetry) $9.95 2, 7 ISBN: 978-1-5127-7148-0
In this volume of poetry, Williams (Exploring the Heart, Awakening the Mind, 2007, etc.) invites readers to walk a few miles with him on the
journey of life.
"And one man in his time plays many parts, / His acts being seven ages," says the somber Jaques in William Shakespeare's As You Like It
monologue. One may think of Jaques as one reads Williams' collection, as the poet returns to the theme of the stepwise nature of life more than
once. Here, for instance, are the opening lines of "Humanity's Soul": "From helpless babe / to playful tot, a woman's growth is not hard to spot. /
From cheerful child / to testy teen and all the havoc wreaked in between, / a woman's growth is well seen." The book's second section is titled
"The Journey," but the idea of existence being a voyage gives shape to much of the rest of the volume, as well. Early poems take on such themes
as youth and new love; later pieces conceive of life as a challenging path; and the third section, "Living with Faith," sketches out a model of
growth and maturity that brings with it valuable wisdom: "If I decide to celebrate this journey traveled, / the people blest whose paths have
crossed with mine, / I know what you shall reveal; / Love is found when least expected, / even when you think you are alone." The author
delivers these life lessons with energy but also with a sense of humility that makes them both plausible and attractive. The tone occasionally
lapses into the conversational and colloquial, as if one is reading casual jottings in someone's diary, rather than a polished verse collection. Yet
this informality is more often a boon than a bane, and it lends the work an air of accessibility that welcomes readers in.
An accomplished collection of limpid, insightful verse.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Williams, Jeffrey H.: REFLECTIONS OF THE HEART." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2018. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A530650587/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=286d7986. Accessed 27 June 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A530650587