The Rocky Hill

About the Book

The Rocky Hill: Stories & Poems opens with the story of Rita. It is narrated by her son, a young soldier, visiting his mother’s grave in order to tell her his long concealed awareness of tragic elements in their lives and the deep confusion that shaped his identity as he says: “that day haunts me like a demon from Dante’s hell”… He struggles to find truth that will bring him peace in a time of persona conflict. In the story “The Kissing Stone”, Alya is struggling with the tragic death of her father in the war… Ilana Haley grew up in a kibbutz in Israel. She went through the wars which provide the background for her characters and their emotional strains and conflicts—and their efforts to heal themselves. Their stories are told in this book. They will take the reader into the realms of love, war, pain,passion, life, reality and death. This book is a journey of life and death with all its complexity. Ilana Haley uses her expressive, evocative poetry to further awaken and inspire contemplation of the meaning of existence and the value of emotion. Reading The Rocky Hill: Stories & Poems, is a unique experience. Enjoy!

About the Author

Ilana Haley takes her literary inspiration from an Israeli childhood—as a child of early Kibbutz pioneers. These stories and poems reflect values and conflictst hat helped to make the nation of Israel. She left her Kibbutz and spent two years in the army; from there, to her life in Tel Aviv as a dancer with the Israeli Ballet, and then to America with a grant from The Martha Graham School. She found inspiration as a fashion designer, studying at the Chicago Art Institute, and as a Yoga teacher at the Yoga Circle in Chicago. After she finished her BA in Hebrew literature at the Spertus College in Chicago, she went back to Israel for a few years and received her MA at Bar-Ilan University in Tel-Aviv. She came back to America to teach in high school (her favorite occupation—as she says). After many years of writing and reflection, she has finally, after the death of her mother, decided to publish this small volume of prose and poetry that begins to tell stories that give words to her history and hopes. She is working now on other books of prose and poetry and plans to do very little else.