– Tania Martin
MT DANDENONG poet Jerry Hughes has put pen to paper to produce his fourth book.
Mr Hughes’ love of language led him to a change of career just over 10 years ago.
He retired from the marketing industry in 1996 following a heart attack five years earlier and turned to his love of writing.
Mr Hughes’ fourth book of poetry, Hard Labour is a mix of 68 new and old poems which he was compelled to put together after talking with his publishing company.
Mr Hughes, diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, is a self-taught poet who has a deep fascination with language.
He said through sheer determination he has overcome his problems with dyslexia to follow his heart and share his poetry with whoever wants to listen.
Mr Hughes said his philosophy in writing is to keep it short.
“If you say something in six or eight lines rather than 66 lines I think it is better and you can still have the same emphasis,” he said.
Mr Hughes also gets his inspiration for his writing from the beautiful and pristine environment of the Dandenong Ranges.
People interested in purchasing Mr Hughes fourth book should contact him on 9728 1896 or his partner Alison on 9761 9363.