ORANGE — With his first book of poetry now out in the world, Orange resident Alex Arnot is ready for the public to peer into his own.

“Dreamscape Voyage,” published by Athol-based Haley’s Publishing in mid-February, “gives us in the beauty of lyrical hauntings his obsessive nightmares and his melancholy musings,” as described by two-time Poet’s Seat Poetry Contest laureate Candace R. Curan in the book’s foreword.

Inspired by the poetry of Langston Hughes and writing from other entertainment media, the roughly 60-poem collection comprises “a journey through (Arnot’s) thoughts, opinions, dreams and nightmares” relative to a vast array of topics ranging from fantasy and horror to sociopolitical commentary.

According to Arnot’s online biography, “poetry and writing have always been part of his life,” and as a child, “he wrote lighthearted, silly poems in elementary school journals and while playing pretend with his friends. In his teens, he wrote dark, morbid song lyrics at home and in writing classes.”

As a young adult, “heavy depression,” paired with an admiration for heavy metal and horror genres of entertainment, manifested into even darker writing. Only recently has this mood begun to shift, he said.

“Now that I’ve been able to combat it in the past several years, I’ve been trying to focus a little more on things I’m more passionate about, such as political issues, fantasy, stuff like that,” he said, noting that “Dreamscape Voyage” is a combination of new poetry and poetry he’s written through the years.

Arnot binds this medley of topics under one “voyage” through his subconscious, a lens that gives the book its name. The eclectic variety, he said, reflects how Attention Deficit Disorder organizes his thoughts, as well as how his dreams manifest them more tangibly.

“To me, a dream feels like being transported into another world or another realm,” he said. “Somewhere you can experience things you can’t in real life. Whenever I have a dream that inspires me, I try to put it into a poetry form.”

“Dreamscape Voyage” is available at New Salem General Store, at Haley’s Publishing, at dreamscapevoyagepoems.com and at other online vendors.

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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