Reflections of a Peacemaker; A Portrait Through Heartsongs

Mattie J. T. Stepanek Kansas City: Andrew McMeel Publishing, 2005. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. xvi, [2], 222 pages. Illustrations. Index of Titles. Autographed copy sticker on the front of the DJ. Signature with sentiment on the half-title page. Machine-generated signature of Mattie with sentiment also on half-title page. Foreword by Oprah Winfrey. Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek (July 17, 1990 – June 22, 2004), known as Mattie J.T. Stepanek, was an American poet (or, as he wanted to be remembered, "a poet, a peacemaker, and a philosopher who played") who published seven best-selling books of poetry and peace essays. Before his death at the age of 13, he had become known as a peace advocate and motivational speaker. His hero was former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who described Stepanek as "the most extraordinary person whom I have ever known". Stepanek suffered from a rare disorder, dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy. His three older siblings died from the same illness. The condition was unknown until his mother was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease in 1992, after all four of the children had been born. Stepanek was a poet and speaker, penning six volumes of bestselling Heartsongs poetry books, and a collection of peace essays that also became a bestseller. He was the lyricist for Music Through Heartsongs. The album was produced by Sony, was released in 2003 and performed by Billy Gilman, and debuted at number 109 on the Billboard 200 and at number 15 on Hot Country Songs. Stepanek died at age 13 on June 22, 2004. The non-profit Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation was established by a group of citizens in Rockville, Maryland where he lived. "I write about anything that touches the essence of my existence. What I witness, what I feel, what I think, what I fear, what I treasure. I write about life, which is our greatest gift." --Mattie Stepanek, 1990-2004. Mattie J. T. Stepanek lived and died a child, but he had the spirit of a giant. Affected by a rare and fatal neuromuscular disease, Mattie lived almost fourteen years but in that time became a poet, best-selling author, peace activist, and a prominent voice for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Before his death in June 2004, his five volumes of Heartsongs poetry sold many copies. Reflections of a Peacemaker: A Portrait Through Heartsongs is the final collection of Heartsongs that Mattie was working on when he died. It includes the last poem Mattie penned along with a special collection of unpublished poetry, photographs, and artwork spanning the decade from when he began writing Heartsongs at age three. Culled from the thousands of poems, essays, and journal entries Mattie left behind, the entries in Reflections of a Peacemaker create a portrait of Mattie in his own words. In these poems he explores disability, despair, and death but also the gifts he finds in nature, prayer, peace, and his belief in something "bigger and better than the here and now." The poems are grouped by theme such as playful, stormy, sacred, and final Heartsongs, with each section introduced by a personal tribute from Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, Larry King, Christopher Cross, Murray Pollack, Isidore Dixon, Jerry Lewis, Chris Cuomo, Jann Carl, and former President Jimmy Carter. In the words of Mattie's mother, Jeni Stepanek, who has published Reflections of a Peacemaker at her son's request, "In reading these poems we enter Mattie's world and gain insight through a child who somehow balanced pain and fear with optimism and faith." Condition: Very good / Very good.

Keywords: Maya Angelou, Jimmy Carter, Oprah Winfrey, Larry King, Christopher Cross, Murray Pollack, Isidore Dixon, Jerry Lewis, Chris Cuomo, Jann Carl, Poetry, Poems, Verse, Dysautonomic Mitochondrial Myopathy

ISBN: 9780740756252

[Book #83298]

Price: $250.00

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