A Plague of Angels
A Plague of Angels describes in poetry some angels from the other side of the angelic tracks, from little-known to somewhat flaky to downright somber. These 'off' angels include the Angel of Might-Have-Been, the Angel of Unread Books, the Angel on the Icon does acrobatics, along with Balinese angels treading over sacrifices on feather-light feet to the Angel of Suicide contemplating his bottle of nepenthe. The poems were written over a period of many years, as the ideas occurred to me, either as angels clearly operating in my life or as ones I could definitely use. Obviously, I operate in a busy universe, even if it's only in my head. Over the years, many people have responded positively to these shadow angels, and of course, I have written more poems about new ones I dream up. Maybe a second edition, if the Angel of Longevity is on my shoulder. (Lani Steele)
About Lani C Steele (San Luis Obispo, California Author)
The short mystery fiction of Lani Steele has been published in Red Herring Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and in several volumes of Central Coast Sisters in Crime anthologies. Absence is No Alibi is written as the first in a proposed series featuring Ross Talbot, a school counselor / amateur detective, and his wife Carole, who writes mysteries and meddles in his investigations. The story is set in the early 1990’s in several towns along California’s scenic Central Coast, which was at that time far less developed than it is today.
Steele’s other publications include two stand-alone volumes of poetry, CROWDED WITH GHOSTS, about Native American themes and history, and A PLAGUE OF ANGELS, exploring some off-center angelic personas. Her work has been included in many poetry anthologies, and her poetry, fiction, and non-fiction features and travel articles have been published in local and national magazines. She has served as editor of several poetry collections, and was a founding member of the Central Coast Sisters in Crime Chapter.
Steele, recently retired, was an educator at elementary, secondary, and college level, serving for over 25 years as an instructor and teacher-trainer in the Education Department at Cal Poly. She was also the head of English Department at Brent International School, Manila, teaching higher level world literature in the International Baccalaureate program. She lives in Los Osos, California, with her husband Gary Mickle. They have four children who are far-flung around the globe, feeding the couple’s travel addiction nicely.
