The Patient Body: A Personal Narrative in Pieces - Paperback

by Sebastian Matthews (Author)

The Patient Body: A Personal Narrative in Pieces chronicles one man's journey as he attempts to lead a balanced life as a father, husband, friend, and literary citizen during traumatic times.

Written as a mosaic of 'flash' encounters, meditations, memories, and travel pieces, The Patient Body explores the ways the past resides inside the present and the present points to an uncertain future. An abecedary lies at the center of the book, composed for a former self, the twenty-six 'micro' sections create a dialogue that plays out across the divide created by a devastating car accident that changed everything.

Author Biography

Sebastian Matthews is the author of the memoir-in-essays Beyond Repair: Living in a Fractured State and the hybrid collection Beginner's Guide to a Head-on Collision. His other publications include two books of poems, the memoir In My Father's Footsteps, the collage novel The Life and Times of American Crow, and a collaboration with photographer Charter Weeks entitled Travelogue. He works as a writing coach and leads workshops for the Great Smokies Writing Program in Asheville, NC.