The Golden Wheel

About the Book

The Golden Wheel is Julia Cooley Altrocchi’s fourth poetry anthology, upon which she was working when she died at age 79. The short poems chosen exemplify the broad spectrum of Julia’s aesthetic interests -- love, nature, optimism, philosophic reflection, the grandeur of history and travel, modern youth, and the meaning of Life. The editors, a son and a granddaughter, have enriched this anthology with a sampling of her youthful poetry as well as two powerful long narrative poems in their entirety -- Black Boat, which describes one of World War II’s least-known American racial injustices, and Chicago: Epic City, for which she won, at age 75, first prize in Poet Lore’s National Narrative Poem Contest. This collection of poetry illuminates the evolution and full sweep of Julia Cooley Altrocchi’s literary creativity and artistry.

About the Author

Dr. Paul Altrocchi is a graduate of Harvard University, Harvard Medical School and Columbia University’s New York Neurological Institute. A former Professor of Neurology at Stanford Medical School, he was head of the Palo Alto Clinic’s Department of Neurology for two decades and is a past-President of the American Society of Clinical Neurologists. After a Masters in Public Health from Berkeley and a degree in Tropical Medicine from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, he taught Neurology and International Health throughout the Third World. Dr Altrocchi has been interested in the Shakespeare authorship question for sixty years. Following retirement he has concentrated his scholarly research in this fascinating field, publishing seven books and two dozen articles. He now lives on the beautiful wet side of Oahu.