Speech of the Masquerade
Speech of the Masquerade is a collection of poetry unmasking the rawness of human emotions. The idea for my poetry collection stemmed from a poem I wrote in high school by the same title. For me, that poem marked the start of my writing career, as it gave me courage to continue writing and speaking from my heart. My poetry collection deals with issues that hit close to home and are close to the heart. Speech of the Masquerade is about voicing our personal stories, unveiling our beautiful souls, and unmasking ourselves so that the world can see who we are and how we feel.
My poetry is for those who have passionate hearts and live life with intensity and for those with deep sentiment, alternating bouts of love and hate, occasional sadness darkening the mind, and a dreamer's hope. Most importantly, it is for those with beautiful, passionate hearts that guide them through life. I wrote the poem, “Speech of the Masquerade” to help these people gain the courage to unmask what they’ve kept hidden. Now, I present my poetry collection, Speech of the Masquerade, to discard my own mask and share my voice with everyone.
You can purchase my book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Speech-Masquerade-Kendall-Driscoll/dp/098401425X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417572930&sr=1-1&keywords=speech+of+the+masquerade
Interview with Inside Scoop: http://insidescooplive.com/driscollkendallspeechofthemasquerade-1/
My poetry is for those who have passionate hearts and live life with intensity and for those with deep sentiment, alternating bouts of love and hate, occasional sadness darkening the mind, and a dreamer's hope. Most importantly, it is for those with beautiful, passionate hearts that guide them through life. I wrote the poem, “Speech of the Masquerade” to help these people gain the courage to unmask what they’ve kept hidden. Now, I present my poetry collection, Speech of the Masquerade, to discard my own mask and share my voice with everyone.
You can purchase my book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Speech-Masquerade-Kendall-Driscoll/dp/098401425X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417572930&sr=1-1&keywords=speech+of+the+masquerade
Interview with Inside Scoop: http://insidescooplive.com/driscollkendallspeechofthemasquerade-1/
Praise for Speech of the Masquerade
"Driscoll seems to be a sociologist who has a handle on the struggles that we as a nation are experiencing. Yet, she takes it one step further by not only humanizing these problems, but by embracing them and showing us how one single person can overcome these feelings of emptiness. I would recommend Speech of the Masquerade by Kendall Driscoll to anyone questioning anything in their lives." --Reviewed by Arianna Violante from Reader Views
"Speech of the Masquerade is by turns melodramatic, playful, and angst-ridden, and should be required reading for parents and teachers who may have forgotten how it feels to be a teen in turmoil. Kendall Driscoll is the contemplative voice of the Millennials." --J.C. Elkin, author of World Class: Poems Inspired by the ESL Classroom
“Although Speech of the Masquerade seems to grow out of the world of performance poetry, it has roots that extend to the work of Gwendolyn Brooks and Walt Whitman. Kendall Driscoll is a young poet with lots of emotional energy, alternately compassionate and playful, whose subjects range from love to procrastination, clarinetists to coffee makers, Mozart to Lady Gaga." --Dr. Gilbert Allen, author of Catma
“In these empathetic poems, Kendall Driscoll explores the messy, perilous, rewarding relationships that tie humans together. Her eye for detail--pop culture, high art, weather, place--draws the reader into these expertly-drawn scenes. Speech of the Masquerade is a big-hearted book with a wry sense of humor. Read it! You'll thank your lucky stars that you did.” --Dr. Joni Tevis, author of The Wet Collection
"Whether she's ribbing on resume-builders, writing mock-eulogies to defunct coffee machines, or challenging others to gather the courage to live honestly, Kendall's voice reverberates with beauty and truth, which according to some poets, are the same thing." --Derek Berry, author of Skinny Dipping With Strangers
“Diverse in scope and broad in range, the poems in Driscoll’s impressive debut collection are detailed geographies of the human heart. From laughter to heartbreak, from iPod playlists to violin solos, there is much here to discover and to love.”--Dr. Andrew Geyer, author of A Shared Voice
“'May we stand strong without cowering any longer in fear of what could come,' advises the speaker in 'The Destination of Procrastination.' Such wise words could also serve as the mantra of Kendall Driscoll’s fine debut collection. The poems here originate from a range of 'masked' human voices—the unheard, the unwanted, the unsure, the shy—and come out swinging in a dazzling array of forms and moods, from lyric elation to comic eulogy, from the epistolary to the late-night confession. These poems are Exhibit A for the case that 1) the outsiders will stand the test of time and 2) poetry will always provide both sanctuary and the potential to heal." --Michael Diebert, author of Life Outside the Set
"Imagine taking a glass diary, a fragile journal of personal revelations and truth about a personality and life you’ve never known before. You grip it in your hand and throw it with full force against a brick wall. After it shatters into distinct and unique pieces, you pick up each shard and examine it. Feel the rough edges with a careful hand and hold each piece of glass to the air to catch a gleam of sunlight. That rainbow going through each shard of glass that makes you smile, relate and remember the details of your own life experiences….that’s the experience of reading Speech of the Masquerade. From finding the strength in your own voice to stepping out in love to share it with others then to letting every day show and mold you into a person you’re trying to figure out if you even want to become, this poetry collection is a pure joy to read. It is the perfect blend of complex wordplay mixed with honest simplicity to paint mind pictures that are hard to shake. Ms. Driscoll has truly used language to remove the mask and let the world become privy to a heartfelt journey now revealed." --Lady Vee, author of Clenched Teeth Smiling
"Speech of the Masquerade is by turns melodramatic, playful, and angst-ridden, and should be required reading for parents and teachers who may have forgotten how it feels to be a teen in turmoil. Kendall Driscoll is the contemplative voice of the Millennials." --J.C. Elkin, author of World Class: Poems Inspired by the ESL Classroom
“Although Speech of the Masquerade seems to grow out of the world of performance poetry, it has roots that extend to the work of Gwendolyn Brooks and Walt Whitman. Kendall Driscoll is a young poet with lots of emotional energy, alternately compassionate and playful, whose subjects range from love to procrastination, clarinetists to coffee makers, Mozart to Lady Gaga." --Dr. Gilbert Allen, author of Catma
“In these empathetic poems, Kendall Driscoll explores the messy, perilous, rewarding relationships that tie humans together. Her eye for detail--pop culture, high art, weather, place--draws the reader into these expertly-drawn scenes. Speech of the Masquerade is a big-hearted book with a wry sense of humor. Read it! You'll thank your lucky stars that you did.” --Dr. Joni Tevis, author of The Wet Collection
"Whether she's ribbing on resume-builders, writing mock-eulogies to defunct coffee machines, or challenging others to gather the courage to live honestly, Kendall's voice reverberates with beauty and truth, which according to some poets, are the same thing." --Derek Berry, author of Skinny Dipping With Strangers
“Diverse in scope and broad in range, the poems in Driscoll’s impressive debut collection are detailed geographies of the human heart. From laughter to heartbreak, from iPod playlists to violin solos, there is much here to discover and to love.”--Dr. Andrew Geyer, author of A Shared Voice
“'May we stand strong without cowering any longer in fear of what could come,' advises the speaker in 'The Destination of Procrastination.' Such wise words could also serve as the mantra of Kendall Driscoll’s fine debut collection. The poems here originate from a range of 'masked' human voices—the unheard, the unwanted, the unsure, the shy—and come out swinging in a dazzling array of forms and moods, from lyric elation to comic eulogy, from the epistolary to the late-night confession. These poems are Exhibit A for the case that 1) the outsiders will stand the test of time and 2) poetry will always provide both sanctuary and the potential to heal." --Michael Diebert, author of Life Outside the Set
"Imagine taking a glass diary, a fragile journal of personal revelations and truth about a personality and life you’ve never known before. You grip it in your hand and throw it with full force against a brick wall. After it shatters into distinct and unique pieces, you pick up each shard and examine it. Feel the rough edges with a careful hand and hold each piece of glass to the air to catch a gleam of sunlight. That rainbow going through each shard of glass that makes you smile, relate and remember the details of your own life experiences….that’s the experience of reading Speech of the Masquerade. From finding the strength in your own voice to stepping out in love to share it with others then to letting every day show and mold you into a person you’re trying to figure out if you even want to become, this poetry collection is a pure joy to read. It is the perfect blend of complex wordplay mixed with honest simplicity to paint mind pictures that are hard to shake. Ms. Driscoll has truly used language to remove the mask and let the world become privy to a heartfelt journey now revealed." --Lady Vee, author of Clenched Teeth Smiling