Books & Plays
I Dream in Swirls and Roses
Poetry to heal, to grow, to love
Now Available!
I Dream in Swirls and Roses is the natural progression from Laura West Hall's two previous poetry collections-- the awakening and acknowledging in Of Broken Things, the call to action in Permission Not Required, and now the healing of I Dream in Swirls and Roses. This book is a love letter to the natural world as it draws comparisons between phenomena in nature and the complexities of human emotion. The four chapters: Of Earth, In Air, With Water, and On Fire, take readers on a journey from grounding in our space, breathing in our reality, cleansing our past, and finally renewing our spirit.
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When given the chance to heal and grow, humanity can see beyond itself, and make the necessary room to choose love.
Re-Collection
A Novel
It’s the year 2049, six years after America’s second Civil War. The Collection, a new government, even more corrupt than the first, is rising from the rubble. In opposition is the GC, a group of teachers and scientists, many of whom have been kidnapped, tortured, and brainwashed to prevent the education of the populace.
The GC hit a snag when their founder, Janie McAvoy, a forty-seven-year-old political science teacher and activist, was kidnapped and put into a drug-induced coma. She awakes during her rescue to find she has lost all long-term memory, including her name.
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Now thrust into a life she doesn’t remember, and on the run from the government Collectors, she rediscovers her complicated love interest, Croft, who has stood by her for twenty years. Together, Croft and Janie are on a quest to find her remaining family members while she struggles to regain her memory. On her pursuit, she learns that her kidnapping was part of a complicated plot by the government, but more specifically, her own mother.
Permission Not Required
Poetry and Prose for Kickass Women
UNBRIDLED
(From Permission Not Required)
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Yoked for eons,
We waited.
Always knowing,
The time was coming.
Feeling our birth,
Reclaiming our power.
Poised, with piercing eyes,
Focused on our deliverance.
Recovering again and again,
From stolen claims.
From outright offenders,
And from subtle tamers.
Rage kept in a pretty little stall,
With flowered wreaths hung on the bars.
Fed with broken promises,
A trough of leftovers we should be “grateful for.”
But when the hivemind tried to install new locks,
They didn’t count on a stampede.
They blamed each other
for who left the tiny gate unlocked.
Oblivious,
while the entire fence came crashing down.
Now that our manes have tasted the wind,
There is no corral strong enough to hold us.
"Permission Not Required: Poetry and Prose for Kickass Women," is a book for, and about women of all ages. Each piece examines the many roles of women in today’s society, both forced, and self-assigned. Through a deep dive into a variety of relationships, the cycle of health and illness, the progression of aging, the spectrum of self-discovery to self-care, and some of the speedbumps of regret, misogyny, assault, and interpersonal turmoil, Permission Not Required helps to navigate through the bumpy waters of what it means to be a woman today.
Each of the seven chapters, In Pursuit, Piecemeal, Knowing When, Magic Is as Magic Does, Listening Intently, Vignettes, and Unbridled, walk the reader through moments of questioning, coping, tragedy, and triumphs. Included are issues for all women, regardless of age, race, or sexual orientation. Also, hear from a range of women in the Vignettes chapter about overcoming loss, heartache, and fear.
There are always those that want to muffle the voices and extinguish the experiences of women. This book sidesteps the clanging gong of noisy voices, and helps women focus on the most important voice, the quiet voice within. Permission Not Required will have you crying, laughing, and cheering to the very last page."
THINK OF THAT TIME YOU DIDN'T THINK YOU WOULD MAKE IT - BUT YOU DID
That's all. Just think of that!
Of Broken Things
A Collection of Poems and Ponderings
From the surface, it's easy to overlook a hole in the ground,
even one filled with want.
But from the bottom of the well,
the only view is the hole above,
the glimpse of sky,
the promise of expanse...
The Powerful will fight for complacency.
Cause a solid ruckus!
Of Broken Things: A Collection of Poems and Ponderings is about all things broken, and on the verge of breaking. Society, politics, the environment, and our fragile relationships with each other are rapidly changing. We are at the precipice. Where do we look for hope at this zero hour except within ourselves and each other?
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The four chapters, Losing Time, Out of Time, Mending Time, and Ignoring Time outline a continuum from decay to restoration. Each poem, a stepping stone on our journey through these tumultuous days. Poverty, education, the skewed distribution of wealth and resources, chronic illness, finding one's voice, recovering from trauma, and protecting the environment are just some of the many topics covered in this collection of poems.
Two Cries and a Laugh
A Collection of Three One Act Plays
New play, KER-SPLAT-RIMONY now available at lwhallauthor@gmail.com. See Buy Current Works tab for details.
TWO CRIES AND A LAUGH is a collection of three one act plays - two dramas and a comedy. TO LOVE WRONGLY (drama), POST GRACE (drama), and CAMPFIRE (comedy)
SYNOPSIS: TO LOVE WRONGLY (drama) Destiny is confused when she is drugged, kidnapped, and sent to a religious conversion camp for LGBTQIA+ youth. Four teenagers, including one transgender male, one transgender female, and two cisgender females, are faced with camp staff trying to re-program their thinking about who they are or who they love, using religion. All products of strict households, the
four teens come to some hard realizations about their families, and how to support each other in the midst of damaging rhetoric and a shocking tragedy they never could have predicted.
*There are moments of laughter and levity throughout, despite the tension of the very real, and ruinous consequences of attempted reprogramming of LGBTQIA+ youth.
SYNOPSIS: POST GRACE (drama) The usually bubbly Alessia (known as Less to her friends), is not only quiet and unresponsive, but told her best friends, Nyla and Parker she changed her name to Grace. The confused, but supportive friends finally manage to get her to open up about a scary instance of sexual misconduct, which could have ended in assault. Each of the three grapple with the personal fallout of unwanted attention from men as well as the questions of what defines sexual assault, and how to reclaim one’s power after being violated.
*While it is an intense subject matter, there are moments of humor interspersed throughout the play, and in the end, Grace is able to take steps to move forward and once again feel like Alessia.
SYNOPSIS: CAMPFIRE (comedy) Looking for new inspiration, Olive, Kahan, and Clyde are successful writers attending a writers’ retreat run by best-selling author Brynne Mainard. Now retired, Brynne runs several retreats a year for aspiring and successful authors. Olive, an astrophysicist and author has been completely lost in her work. Having been divorced from her first husband and widowed by her second, she had thrown herself into her career, leaving no time for relationships. She was shocked to meet Kahan, a political cartoonist and columnist, who just happened to be widowed from his first wife but divorced from his second. What are the odds? Olive and Kahan hit it off instantly and fall quickly into deep conversation. In the meantime, struggling poet, Clyde provides comedic commentary on the couple, as well as serving up his share of snarky comments and slapstick humor.
Finally, Olive and Kahan are content with their past and ready to move forward. Maybe love is in the stars for them after all.
**THE PLAYS IN THIS BOOK ARE READ ONLY. Script ordering details are in the book, or by e-mailing lwhallauthor@gmail.com
KER-SPLAT-RIMONY
A Comedy in One Act
By, Laura West Hall
GENRE: Comedy
CHARACTERS: 8
RUNTIME: 15-20
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SYNOPSIS:
You are cordially invited to the wedding of Lacey Ker and Chris Riesling. Prep for the big day is in full swing. Lacey's sister, Saffron, and parents, Jack and Janice, (in their own well-intentioned way) try to help her get ready for the big day. Hilarity really ensues when Lacey’s Aunt Indigo, Uncle Marlboro, and cousin, Donner, stop over to “help.” Aunt Indy has brought some ghastly items from her own wedding to share with the bride. Uncle Marl is distracted with horse races, and Donner is just there to drink with his cousins.
The issue is, Indy and Marl don't realize Lacey's fiance', Chris, is actually another girl. While trying to show their support, Marl’s and Indy’s efforts are somewhat lost in translation as they both approach the subject in endearing, yet uncomfortable ways. Ker-splat-rimony is a hilarious roller coaster ride over the bumpy terrain of family relationships.