Alea Celeste Williams: A Voice Forged in Darkness and Light
The fine artist, poet and activist joins literary and musical legends in The Junk Merchants 2: A Literary Tribute to William S. Burroughs
Alea Celeste Williams, a poet, artist, and activist, is capturing attention with her evocative and thought-provoking work. Williams, who is a well-known UFOlogist, a poet, artist, activist, lover of nature and peace, thinker, philosopher, dyslexic and dyscalculiac healer, brings a unique perspective to the literary landscape, one that blends social justice concerns with raw emotionality.
Alea Celeste Williams
"Spent Bullet": A Poem of Haunting Resonance
Williams is the author of the original poem "Spent Bullet," a piece that delves into the tragic accidental shooting death of Joan Vollmer Burroughs by William S. Burroughs. This event, described as Burroughs' "morbidly slapstick murder of his wife, Joan Vollmer, continues to fascinate and horrify. Accounts differ but Burroughs allegedly took a handgun from his travel bag and said to Vollmer, “It’s time for our William Tell act.” Vollmer placed a highball glass on her head and Burroughs fired. The bullet struck Vollmer in the face, and she died a few hours later. Whether accident or a horrific game gone wrong, the event is a chilling reminder of the dark undercurrents that can plague even the most brilliant minds. "I am forced to the appalling conclusion that I would never become a writer but for Joan’s death…the death brought me into contact with the invader, the Ugly Spirit, and maneuvered me into a lifelong struggle, in which I had no choice except to write my way out." Williams’ poem promises to be a powerful meditation on this tragedy.
Thunderstruck: Acclaim in the Realm of Dark Poetry
Williams' talent has been recognized in a rave review of Thunderstruck: A Dark Poetry Collection, a collaborative work with Sandy DeLuca and Alex S. Johnson. The collection was described as "witchy, pagan, erotic, just right for Halloween." Published independently, the collection earned special praise in Cemetery Dance, the Stephen King-endorsed horror magazine of record. Cemetery Dance is the World Fantasy Award-winning magazine of horror, dark mystery, and suspense. Joshua Gage noted that "Poems like this may not be horror or dark, perse, but they do serve to create a consistent voice throughout the collection so that, when the darker and more horrific poems occur they stand out even more so."
The Junk Merchants 2: A Literary Constellation
"Spent Bullet" finds its home in The Junk Merchants 2: A Literary Tribute to William S. Burroughs, edited by Alex S. Johnson, Bram Stoker Award-recommended author of The Doom Hippies. The anthology boasts an impressive array of contributors, showcasing a spectrum of voices from the transgressive to the iconic. Larry Jaffe, acclaimed poet and human rights activist, provides the foreword, setting the stage for a collection that grapples with Burroughs' enduring legacy. Poppy Z. Brite (Billy Martin), a transgressive fiction icon, lends an introduction and a "necrophiliac homage" to Burroughs, followed by A Note From A Fan” by Last News on the Left founder Ossiana Tepfenhart, Other contributors include cyberpunk pioneer John Shirley, internationally renowned poet, translator and University of Nanking professor Ma Yongbo, Caitlin R. Kiernan, a Bram Stoker and World Fantasy Award winning author, Maxim Jakubowski, former Grove Press editor, Burroughs collaborator Graham Masterton and David J. Haskins, the songwriter of "Bela Lugosi's Dead, whose poem “El Hombre Invisible (For Joan Vollmer Burroughs”) also maps Joan’s tragic death.
Original cover photography and design by J.D. Busch. Additional cover elements by Adrian Baldwin.
Alex S. Johnson, Larry Jaffe, Billy Martin (Poppy Z. Brite), Maxim Jakubowski, Graham Masterton, Ron Whitehead, Ellyn Maybe, Jarboe, Caitlin R. Kiernan
John Shirley, Ossiana Tepfenhart, John Palisano, David J. Haskins, Nicole H. Sixx, Juliet Cook
The collection also features poetry goddess Ellyn Maybe, British Fantasy Award nominated author Chris Kelso, fine artist and critically-acclaimed author Sandy DeLuca, Weird Tales contributor Gabrielle Faust, naturalist/poet/dark fiction author Daniel G. Snethen and cyberculture progenitor R.U. Sirius.
A Multifaceted Artist
Alea Celeste Williams is not simply a poet; she is a multifaceted artist whose work is deeply intertwined with her activism and her unique worldview. As Alex S. Johnson noted, Williams brings her unique perspective on social justice and community well-being. Her contributions invite readers to contemplate the complexities of the human condition, and the power of art to illuminate even the darkest corners of our shared experience.