Heroes without Capes

Heroes without Capes is about the classic struggle against daunting obstacles and how we reach deep down to discover our own heroic natures. Within this collection of dramatic monologues and narrative poems, you’ll meet famous and infamous figures from history, myth and pop culture who show varying degrees of heroism and loneliness. Former North Carolina Poet Laureate Joseph Bathanti says, “These poems by Alice Osborn-a number of them wonderfully hybrid and distinctive in form-draw a steady bead on heroes and the heroic and, within that malleable context, the anti-hero as well. Heroes without Capes deftly imagines a hierarchy where the fanciful as well as the mundane are rendered not only heroic, but mythic. The language is tough, sanguine, funny and, above all, memorable.”

Alice Osborn’s past educational and work experience is unusually varied, and it now feeds her work as a poet-singer/songwriter, editor and popular writing coach. She founded Wonderland Book Club eight years ago and is so happy to see the group flourishing and making its mark in Raleigh’s literary community. In the past decade, Alice has taught writing workshops to thousands of aspiring fiction and memoir authors of nearly all ages from 9 to 90 both around the corner and across continents. Heroes without Capes is her most recent collection of poetry. Previous collections are After the Steaming Stops and Unfinished Projects. Alice is also the editor of the anthologies Tattoos and Creatures of Habitat, both from Main Street Rag. A North Carolina Writers’ Network board member and a Pushcart Prize nominee, her work has appeared in the News and Observer, The Broad River Review, The Pedestal Magazine, Soundings Review and in numerous journals and anthologies. When she’s not editing or writing, Alice is an Irish dancer who plays guitar and violin. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband, two children, four loud birds and Mr. Nibbles, the guinea pig. Visit Alice’s website at www.aliceosborn.com.