by Hans Joseph Fellmann (Author)

The Heart That Beats is a collection of semiautobiographical poems based on Fellmann's life as a novice writer living in the Czech Republic and California from 2010 to 2016. All poems appear in chronological order, starting with those describing his move to Prague from California to begin his life as a writer, and ending with those describing a series of events, which sent him on a path to self-destruction. The collection touches on difficult themes Fellmann dealt with during this time, such as alcoholism, drug abuse, abortion, suicide, overdose, rejection, mockery, isolation, death, madness, and heartbreak. The narrative draws inspiration from traumatic moments in his past, and from the state of chaos we live in today as it attempts to understand the heart that beats beneath it all.