Patricia Edmisten's Books

The Mourning of Angels

By: Patricia S. Taylor Edmisten

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...a compelling story of female initiation." St. Petersburg Times "I read Patricia Edmistens dramatic and sensuous debut novel, The Mourning of Angels in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Her marvelous evocation of the first days of the Peace Corps provided an escape from the sadness of New York City, where I live, as well as a much-needed perspective on the savagery of that act. The Mourning of Angels captures the innocence of 1962 and 1963, before the Kennedy assassination, when many of us, swept up in the idealism of such a venture, joined the Peace Corps and journeyed to countries wed never heard of, and when young women seized the opportunity for a kind of adventure that until then had almost solely been the purview of men. Lydia Schaefer, Edmistens 23-year-old protagonist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a tough, principled, sometimes provocative, but always emotionally receptive young woman, determined to do her job as a health care worker, first in Arequipa, Peru and later in the coastal town of Ica. In straightforward, beautifully descriptive prose, subtly impregnated with the political and cultural history of Peru, Edmisten charts Lydia Schaefers journey from innocence--she is a Catholic girl, still a virgin, the product of a protective, loving home--to a stark, tragic maturity. Lydia describes her view beyond her barriada in Arequpa. Gray and white dominate the landscape. No road is paved. There are no trees. Nothing green. No spring flowers interfere with the dreariness. Looking up, however, there is visual relief. Misti, a 19,150-foot volcano, said to be dormant by experts, but alive to those who know her tremors, rises proudly over The City of my Hope. Snow lavishly bleeds down her sides, like the white mantle of the Madonna. As this image of the Virgins cloak implies, Lydia struggles with her strong Catholic beliefs in the face of rampant infant mortality, the yearly pregnancies of poor women, and the Churchs refusal to allow birth control. Interestingly, she never gives up her Catholicism, but rather gradually adapts the religion to her new knowledge and beliefs, much as Indians force the Catholic church to incorporate native rituals into the liturgy. She breaks her own rule to remain a virgin until marriage. With a sensuality that is both innocent and literally rapturous, Edmisten writes of Lydia making love with her in-country co-worker, Rafael. He is mestizo with a Spanish father and Indian mother. They are journeying bak to his village beyond Machu Picchu, when they stop to swim in a mountain pool and then make love. Rafaels kiss is moist and sweet, and as he eases on top of me, it becomes more familiar, more urgent. The air is fresh and fragrant, a light breeze glances off our warm bodies. I look up at blinding white clouds and reach my arms out to them. We remain immobile for a few minutes and then slowly rock. A condor soars overhead. I have read of eagles mating in mid-air, free falling, unaware of the doom below. It was like that. The doom she senses in her moment of sexual abandon fortells of political clashes and violence that will irrevocably change her life and radicalize her world view. Edmisten is masterful in portraying the customs, politics, food, suffering, playful activities and collective nature of life for the Indians of that region. She elegantly weaves in strands of history and political theory. Though generous of spirit throughout, by the end of her painful story, Edmisten has shown how the Church, the United States in its fight against communism during that period, the cultural innocence of Americans, the abusive powers within the country are all at least morally complicit in the continuance of devastating poverty, the subjugation of women, and the oppression of Indians. Reading The Mourning of Angels in a time of national mourning viscerally reminded me that other cultures and nations have suf

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Page Count

311

Publisher

Xlibris Corporation

Published Date

ISBN 10

1462810934

ISBN 13

9781462810932

A Longing for Wisdom

One Woman’S Conscience and Her Church

By: Patricia S. Taylor Edmisten

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A Longing for Wisdom

One Woman’S Conscience and Her Church

By: Patricia S. Taylor Edmisten

Patricia S. Taylor Edmisten was raised and educated with the traditions of the Catholic faith. But in later years, she began to question this faith on which she had relied for most of her life. In A Longing for Wisdom, she probes her conscience and presents writings about women, particularly their diminished role in the Catholic Church. In this collection of poetry, prose, memoir, and essays, Edmisten addresses a range of issues relating to women: The uniqueness of womens talents, burdens, and sorrow The failure of the hierarchy of mainstream churches to recognize the contributions of women in the Churchs history The widely accepted relegation of women to peripheral rather than central roles within churches The unexamined unease the hierarchy and some priests exhibit toward sexualitytheir own and womenscontributing to injustice within the Church and society Challenging, thought-provoking, and inspiring self-examination, A Longing for Wisdom calls for Church reform in an era where conventional wisdom has taken precedence over the wisdom of Christ.

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Page Count

132

Publisher

iUniverse

Published Date

ISBN 10

1450259731

ISBN 13

9781450259736

Wild Women with Tender Hearts

By: Patricia Edmisten

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Wild Women with Tender Hearts

By: Patricia Edmisten

Winner of the 2007 Peace Corps Writers Award for Poetry. "Patricia Taylor Edmisten, passionate woman with a fierce and tender heart, writes of family, pain, hope, nature and commitment to social justice. Her work is a strong voice speaking to the human condition." Jennifer Soule, Ph.D., Poet and Professor Emerita, Shepherd University. "Patricia Taylor Edmisten's poems for tender-hearted wild women will surely also please nature lovers and strong men. Covering a range of subjects from careless littering in "Aluminum Beach", to the Persian Gulf War in "Middle East, 1991", the poems confront the micro and macro issues of the day . The numerous personal poems evoking painful and pleasurable relationships charmingly reveal the poet's nostalgic sensibilities." Mary Lowe-Evans, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, English Department, University of West Florida, Author of Crimes against Fecundity: Joyce and Population Control, and Frankenstein: Mary Shelly's Wedding Guest. "Her poetry is alive, velvet rich, deep, and just blows my socks off." Nancy Gilliam, Legal and Independent Scholar. "I thought I knew something about women, but Patricia Edmisten takes me into fresh, unmapped territory. She holds a magnifying glass up to her own intimate perceptions and doubt, allowing them to surface in vital images through small, rich verses which are no stranger to wit and surprise." Jack Beach: Poet, Author of The Grand Tour and Without a Net. "Patricia Taylor Edmisten has done what poets are supposed to. She has courageously exposed her personal views of people and nature while crafting elegant language art In evoking her intense reverence for even the commonest natural objects, she compels the reader to attend these miracles as well." Ron Evans, Ph.D., Poet and Professor Emeritus of English, University of West Florida, Author of The Creative Myth and the Cosmic Hero.

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