“I’m just a guy who loves words and where they can take you,” modestly claims poet William Gregory, known by his nom de plume “Avatierre of the Juniper Forest,” who is now launching his first book — “Visions, Dreams & Epiphanies – Prose for Posterity” — with appearances throughout Central Oregon.

“Throughout my life, poetry has channeled through me – both clearly and naturally,” admitted Avatierre. “Yet for decades, I recited the spoken word without taking pen to paper. The act of writing down my thoughts took a leap of faith, as I expose my bare, naked soul in the text.”

Avatierre’s work is known for the strong emotions it evokes. When performing at poetry slams, open mics, churches, and spoken word events, “I have had people cry, as my message often goes against traditional teachings. Our true nature is freedom, love and light, and life’s journey is finding our way back to that truth.”

“William is a loving person himself, with a kind heart and joyous humor,” described his collaborator, Sandy Golden-Eagle, who designed the cover and illustrations for “Visions, Dreams & Epiphanies – Prose for Posterity.”  “His meditation and prayer practice keep him energized and poised for life in a peaceful, heart-centered consciousness.”

Avatierre is the son of a millwright who “spent the first half of his career building mills and getting them up and running, and the second half of his career (after the decline of the timber industry) tearing them back down.” He grew up in Central Oregon, described in his poetry as “riddled with buttes, canyons and rimrock mesas that glow red in the morning sun…I call it home.”

Choosing to became involved in stripping, waxing and polishing floors after graduating from high school, Avatierre worked first as an employee and then as an entrepreneur. His company, Pristine Floor Care, has been in operation for 28 years.

“A lot of flooring work is repetitive,” noted Avatierre, “and while my body is physically occupied, many times my mind will turn words into meditation, and I’ll recite mantras. Poetry is just there in my head, describing life’s possibilities. This has been true since childhood.”

A self-described “voracious reader,” Avatierre — whose tastes range from Isaac Asimove and Robert Heinlein to Jack London, Farley Moat, Peter McWilliams and Paul Ferrini – “always found something intriguing about words, especially when they were used to describe the mystical parts of life.”

He notes that “I’m a natural-born poet in my soul. I love and feel joy when taking people on a journey with words. Long after I’m gone, someone, somewhere out there will read my words – and feel what I felt when writing them. That is such a beautiful thought.”

(Avatierre will unveil “Visions, Dreams & Epiphanies – Prose for Posterity” at various locations and events. SEE EVENTS & PERFORMANCES.

To arrange for a book signing and/or poetry reading, contact AVATIERRE at 541-419-9939 or author@Avatierre.com.)

Copies of “Visions, Dreams & Epiphanies – Prose for Posterity”can be purchased through Avatierre’s website – BUY BOOKS.