Shawn P. Lytle

Most everyone living in contemporary America has some awareness of the urban street culture that exists in many of our inner city ghettos. Pop rap has brought it into every living room. What seems to be missing from most of this musical genre, however, are answers to the complexities of poverty and racism; lessons in life that not only focus on the frustrations but teach better ways of dealing with reality besides violence, drugs and attitude.

In Lost Souls, Shawn Lytle takes his readers into that world of alienation and life out-of-control. He speaks through thought-provoking poetry, essays, and short stories of the harsh reality of the city streets; exciting, sad, confusing, yet always with a shred of hope.

Lost Souls is, as the subtitle suggests, “A bizarre voyage into the lives of the desolate that run wild in search of deliverance.” Mr. Lytle writes of his first-hand experiences in everyday street language. His unique insight provides understanding to the complex cultural issues facing our society, and how each of us can make a difference as we strive for a better future.

From an inside-out view of an anxious drug deal, to the loss of a close friend whose life was cut short without reason, Mr. Lytle speaks of his years living fast in the streets. Now and then, he punctuates his dark sketches of life with the lighter whimsical fantasies of a writer discovering his untapped talent. It’s as if he were saying, “writing was my way out, perhaps I can inspire you to find your way out, too.”

In Lost Souls, Shawn Lytle makes no excuses for choosing his roads of the past, but gives voice to the options we all have in deciding the future. His experiences empower others in the knowledge that anyone, at anytime, can turn around or select another path in life.