College writer-in-residence publishes third book of poetry

“They’ve looted the language, co-opting it for every purpose but one….”

The opening line of the poem “Glossolalia” only begins to describe the frustration and anger Edward Francisco, Pellissippi State writer-in-residence, feels about the hijacking of the English language by the powerful.

“Glossolalia” is in his newest book of poetry, “The Alchemy of Words,” which hits the shelves of Knoxville’s Borders, Books-A-Million and Carpe Librum any day now.

“I wrote the volume in about a year’s time,” said the English professor. “The poems just spilled out. I think the impulse was anger—anger at the power brokers who have stolen the language and co-opted it for commercial purposes and the purpose of propaganda. My volume is an antidote to the toxic effects of such language.”

Francisco calls the manipulation of words “an Orwellian revolution.”

“Orwell worried that the language would be corrupted by the power brokers so that each word would become its opposite,” Francisco said.

“I think there’s been a systematic effort by corporate powers and their shills in government to steal the language for their own purposes. They use the language simply to manipulate others for their own private gain.

“We have a country in which our leaders talk about peace but mean war. We’ve developed a whole foreign policy based on ‘shock and awe.’ What an obscene phrase.”

The term “war on terror,” he says, is just one more example of propaganda.

“You fight wars against people. That phrase keeps us from seeing we’re fighting people,” he said.

Francisco says the co-optation of the language has also changed the way people view themselves: “I think people’s brains have been changed. Their hearts and sensibilities have changed for the worse.

“People are seen only in their functions. Your value is seen in what you earn. Your value as a human being is considered worthless. The poet John Keats said, ‘We’re in an arena of soul-making.’ When will you ever hear a CEO say that?

“All of the poems in this book are in some way or another concerned with language and the power of language to heal us and to make us whole,” he said.

Francisco’s essays, poems and short fiction have been published in more than 100 magazines and journals. He has published two highly acclaimed books of poetry: “L(ie)fe Boat” and “Death, Child, and Love: Poems 1980-2000,” which was one of five poetry finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.

Francisco’s novels include “Till Shadows Flee” and “The Dealmaker,” which was nominated for the 2003 Pulitzer in fiction and received a letter of commendation. He is also principal editor of “The South in Perspective,” an anthology of Southern literature that has been adopted by colleges and universities across the country.

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