Angle

Issue date: 11/6/06 Section: Arts and Entertainment

Troyer at book signing [Click to enlarge]

Every aspiring writer dreams of "being published" someday and seeing his name next to an eye-catching title on an attractively bound book. For David Troyer, a 2000 Clearwater Christian College graduate, this dream became a reality when his first book of poetry entitled "All Roads Lead to Rhyme" became available in July on Amazon.com and other online bookstores.

But every writer has to start somewhere, and for David Troyer, Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" sparked his first interest in reading and rhyming. Eventually, he developed an admiration for Shakespeare and the structure of his sonnets. "Reading the works of these authors is one of the main reasons I started writing poetry," Troyer writes in his introduction.

Another key element in his early writing "career" was journaling. In the 9th grade, Troyer's mother gave him a journal, and throughout high school, he disciplined himself using a "Response Journal" in his English classes. He later used this tool as a composition aid when teaching middle school English.

Then, as a student at Clearwater, Troyer became involved in writing for what was then St. Pete Junior College's newspaper, "The Wooden Horse," and did some research for his own college, laying some groundwork for Clearwater's online newspaper.

Troyer explained that "he always liked writing and reading stories" and "had a knack for rhyming." In his book of poetry, he puts both writing and rhyming to work in order to express himself. He shared a personal story about one poem entitled "If all the dreams you had last night." When he and his girlfriend (now wife) were dating, he text-messaged this poem to her; later, she admitted that after receiving it, she had wondered if he had spent his evening in a greeting card aisle.

The book also reveals Troyer's teaching side. At the end of every poem, he provides a brief explanation of the poem's content and meaning in order "to insure the reader's enjoyment and understanding of my work."

In fact, this book of poetry could serve as a teacher's resource or as a student's (middle school or early high school) introduction to poetry. The book begins by explaining a few things about poetry, such as rhyme scheme, and defining commonly used literary terms. For the aspiring writer, Troyer provides some pointers, including lessons he has learned from personal experience or from others. For any teacher interested, he includes a detailed description of what a "Response Journal" should include and outlines a scale to assign a grade.

Troyer explained that he wrote with a diverse audience in mind, and the variety of subject matter and mood employed in his poem confirm this. Whether his readers are young or old, Troyer desires that his book "help those who enjoy poetry to enjoy it further, and to help those who don't particularly care for it, appreciate it at least a little more than they did before."

Those interested in purchasing "All Roads Lead to Rhyme" should visit the Tampa Christian Supply (Missouri Avenue) or go to amazon.com or barnesandnobles.com. This book will also be coming soon to the campus bookstore. (The cover price is $19.95 plus tax.)

To learn more about Troyer and his upcoming projects, visit davidhtroyer.com.

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