The Ridiculous Horny Snail An Ode in Two Acts

By Judi D. Winters

The Ridiculous Horny Snail, An Ode in Two Acts, my illustrated adult book has just been released upon an unwary public. The story originated with an ongoing prompt word exercise created by the Key West Writers Guild. The snails are original residents of Key West, and their adventures take them all over an island that advertises itself as home to One Human Family. Due to the sophisticated language—educative (scientifically correct), humorous, and subtly nuanced, it is not a children's picture book (nor is it pornographic). The target audience are adults and mature young people who appreciate beautiful language and exquisite art, in the form of a prose poem. The story highlights the ups and downs of a snail’s life cycle, whimsically parallelling and touching upon the universality of human relationships and emotions. It has been designed as a special occasion gift, souvenir, guest room welcome or coffee table book.
The Ukrainian born, and trained, Toronto resident Olha Tkachenko’s illustrations surround the stanzas with a brilliant light. The Ridiculous Horny Snail is a delightful, talk-about book of life told through art and poetry.
The book opens with a Storyteller’s Note on how Ms. Winters brought life to the words, and closes with an explanation of The Ridiculously Colorful (totally factual) Life Cycle of Gastropods. As an educator and academic, her goal for over fifty years has been to impress upon students that to write well means you have to read well. Hopefully, readers will return again and again, experiencing a different read upon each return visit, joining with, and building One Human Family.