Barbie Angell

I was going to write up something so that everyone could get an idea of what’s going on with my new book, but Erin Scholze, of Dreamspider Publicity, said it so well that I cannot improve upon it….so I posted it below.  My unending thanks to Erin.

Preview the book at www.RoastingQuestions.com

The front cover of my new book.

A delightful book of children’s poems & illustrations Roasting Questions by Barbie Dockstader Angell is available now for pre-sale with the goal of publishing before the holiday season. Roasting Questions is highly recommended for kids, you, your friends and for anyone with an imagination! The Book is available to preview at RoastingQuestions.com. Please check it out & consider buying–& sponsoring (which will get you some great goodies!)

Angell’s goal is to raise $5000 total to ensure the book will be published in time for the holidays. On Monday, October 15th, Roasting Questions received a $500 donation with two stipulations. One, that the donor remain anonymous, and two, that the book receive another $500 in pre-sales and sponsorships by Monday, October 22nd.

Angell, an Asheville favorite, was named in the top three for 2011 and 2012′s Mountain Xpress “Best of WNC poets.” This is her first book.

Barbie Angell is not just a prominent poet, but also a gifted illustrator. Roasting Questions, her first book, features original illustrations as well as child-friendly poems for all ages.

At the launch party for Roasting Questions. Photo by Erin Scholze of Dreamspider Publicity.

“My goal has always been to reach people who don’t know they like poetry, and convince them that they do,” Angell says.

A self-described “writer who rhymes,” Angell’s affinity for rhyme grew naturally from a youth spent devouring the works of Shel Silverstein and Lewis Carroll. In fact, Roasting Questions features several nods to the Where The Sidewalk Ends author. Rosanne Cash, who knew Silverstein, says, “Barbie’s poems are reminiscent of Shel Silverstein, but totally unique to her sensibility. They are infused with a bright spirit, a heart that seeks and explores, and a gentle insight.”

Angell brings her witty humor to ice-cream shops, schools, libraries, parties, and also performs her unique “bar poetry” in more adult settings. Asheville’s Mountain Xpress writes, “Local poet Barbie Angell is known for her mischievous sense of humor (in case you missed it a year-and-a-half ago, go here for Angell’s Rapture Survival tips), her fanciful, elfin-inspired fashion, and (most importantly) her poetry.”

Roasting Questions is published through Grateful Steps Publishing, a nonprofit publishing house based in Asheville, NC. The book can be previewed and pre-ordered at www.RoastingQuestions.com, and will be released officially around Thanksgiving 2012. A portion of the proceeds from the book will be donated to Mooseheart Child City, where Angell lived for four years.

Here’s what folks are saying about Roasting Questions:

“Her ‘anthropomorphizing’ of feelings (‘irony tastes like fudge’) is quirky and engaging. I imagine children and adults both will revel in her work– both her poetry and her wonderful drawings.”  –Rosanne Cash

“Art is about oblique angles — seeing things in ways we’ve never seen them before. Barbie has a gift for that, and this book is a generous invitation to the rest of us to climb inside her quirky head for a delightful ride.”  –David LaMotte

“In her poetry Angell opens up her soul for all to see. She discusses her shortcomings, her views on life, lessons learned and a host of other topics.You can definitely read strength in what she is saying and like all good writers she speaks not only for herself but of life in general and of the status quo.”  –Rapid River Magazine

For more information about Barbie Angell or Roasting Questions, visit www.barbieangell.com, facebook.com/barbieangell or follow @barbieangell on Twitter.