Gary Lucero Writer

I've released two podcasts so far. Both are generated by Google's NotebookLM, which uses AI to examine my book manuscripts and create professional sounding podcasts. The result is not as critical as real humans would be--these AI podcasters are very enthusiastic about my poetry! But the podcasts are entertaining and interesting and provide more valuable information about the content of my books.

As you see in the image above, the podcasts are available from a wide range of providers.

Enjoy!

Gary

I've just submitted my new book, In Life There Is No Escape, to Amazon.com. It should be available in a few days.

This is a smaller book than In Letting Go, and it's razer focused on a man who has lost everything. As he slowly goes mad, he chronicles his feelings, exposing his loneliness and loss to the entire world.

It's a short collection of dark poetry that explores how one person can feel utterly alone in a world where billions roam its expanses daily. Where life should have been worth living, but instead, all has been lost and even death isn't forthcoming.

I had originally planned to release the book, The Unknown Race. The manuscript was complete and ready to go, but I lost my book designer at the last moment. So, I changed course, and this time around, I performed all the design work myself.

I also recently lost my editor (it's been a hellish winter!), so going forward I plan to continue handling all aspects of self-publishing. That might mean my books suffer in the quality department, but there's so much going on in my personal life right now, I can't take the time to look for anyone new.

Please check Amazon.com for In Life There Is No Escape and let me know what you think of it.

Thank you,
Gary Lucero

British progressive rock group Yes was at the height of their powers in the fall of 1972 when they released their most adventurous album to date, Close to the Edge. An epic masterpiece composed of three tracks, the title track which clocked in at over 18 minutes, And You and I, 10 minutes long and softer and folksier, and the shorter Siberian Khatru, a more straightforward rocker.

While the entire album is beautiful and complex, my focus today is on And You and I, which is strong on lyrical elements that evoke country living and man's clash with politics. It was written by founding member and original singer, Jon Anderson.

A recurring theme in the song is the idea of "coming quickly to terms of all expression laid," the idea being that an outpouring of emotions brings about peace and harmony, which is counter to "Coins and crosses never know their fruitless worth," which alludes to money and religion and how they break apart our lives instead of unifying them.

Towards the middle and at the end of the song, "And you and I climb over the sea to the valley" unites the lovers who attempt to escape the chaos sowed by preachers and teachers who are often insane with their warnings of mutant enemies, men who appear to be hell-bent on using politics to get what they are after.

In the end, "the truth of man maturing in his eyes...All complete in the sight and seeds of life with you," tells us that however well-meaning politicians and religious zealots are, in the end one must find peace and love and escape from the influence of those who are only out for themselves.

Truth is, making sense of the lyrics is not as easy as I make it sound, and after listening to the album for over forty-five years, I continue to find new truths buried in lyrics which are rich with meaning, but not easy to parse.