{"product_id":"dear-max","title":"Dear Max","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDear Max: Letters to Wake a Resting Poet \u003c\/em\u003eis a work of creative non-fiction inspired by the famous prose poem “DESIDERATA” (Max Ehrmann, 1872-1945). Presented as a series of letters by Stephen Ashton in response to 40 poems by Max Ehrmann, \u003cem\u003eDear Max \u003c\/em\u003eexplores the inner-workings and potential of writing. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGreat motivational writing can reach deep into the desires of our spirit. Max Ehrmann’s famous poem, “DESIDERATA,” reminds us of self-evident truths that energize our better selves. Poster versions of “DESIDERATA” helped inspire the 1967 Summer of Love and anti-war sentiments that ended the Vietnam War. And just years earlier, U.S. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson’s affinity with “DESIDERATA” may have helped him de-escalate the Cuban Missile Crisis, saving the world from nuclear holocaust.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDear Max: Letters to Wake a Resting Poet\u003c\/em\u003e began as a thank-you letter to \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eMax Ehrmann, the deceased author of “DESIDERATA.” Soon after, \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eStephen Ashton found an archive of Ehrmann’s earlier work, and one poem resonated as a reply to this letter. Others of these earlier poems either aligned with or contradicted “DESIDERATA,” and Stephen saw them as intriguing trail markers of Max’s spiritual odyssey.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo began an imaginary conversation across time. \u003cem\u003eDear Max\u003c\/em\u003e is an exploration of a poet’s inner world. Presented as a serialized response to a curated selection of Max Ehrmann’s poems, \u003cem\u003eLetters to Wake a Resting Poet\u003c\/em\u003e reveals the “who, why and how” that awakens our own inner poets to their most crucial role: ambassadors to worlds that might be lost without them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stephen Ashton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48959564480740,"sku":null,"price":1000.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0740\/7517\/7188\/files\/DearMax-frontcover_spine.png?v=1779209541","url":"https:\/\/vocamuswriterscommunity.com\/products\/dear-max","provider":"Vocamus Writers Community","version":"1.0","type":"link"}