Constance Alexander explores World War II’s lasting impact in seventh book

Award-winning poet and writer Constance Alexander takes an intimate look at World War II in her latest book “After the Telegram.”  

“I interviewed a whole bunch of people from a lot of different places to find out if they were children during World War II, what their memories were,” Alexander said. “It has some primary documents from the era, and it all was inspired through those things; but I put it in poetic form.”

Alexander explained that being a baby boomer, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, inspired her to write about the lingering remnants of World War II in her childhood home, as well as the disconnect between her generation's experiences and the lack of discussion regarding their parents’ roles in the war.

“It just intrigued me that World War II had been a big influence on my generation,” said Alexander. “But no one ever talked about it.”

The absence of conversation did nothing to prevent the heavy influence the war would have over their lives, including the name of her sister’s teddy bear, Kilroy, a reference to the “Kilroy was here” graffiti that became popular during the war.

“My sister had a big teddy bear that she named Kilroy, and I always loved Kilroy. I was always stealing it from her the way little sisters do, but I didn’t find out for probably 10 years or so that the whole ‘Kilroy was here’ phrase was popular during the war,” the author said.

Alexander, the youngest of five children, grew up in New Jersey. Her father, a World War I veteran, served as an air raid warden during World War II, going door to door, telling people in their neighborhood to turn off their lights and cover the windows.

“He was the only man left in the neighborhood,” she said.

“After the Telegram” examines parts of the war that history books often overlook. Using poetry, primary documents such as V-mail, also known as victory mail, and recipes, Alexander said she wanted to explore life during World War II, from both the point of view of soldiers as well as those waiting for them on the home front.

“I think it's important for people to be reminded of the everyday, the humdrum part of life that war still made its way into everybody's home,” Alexander said.

Alexander described how she used historical artifacts which she transformed into a poetic narrative that centers on a universal family story.

“My husband's cousin, whose name was Johnny, he signed up for the service, the army. He had just finished high school, and he was the one who we have his letters,” explained Alexander.

Johnny’s appears on the cover of “After the Telegram.” Drawing from the letters he wrote while stationed at Camp Swift in Texas and Camp Forrest in Tennessee, Alexander weaves poetry that gives a voice to Johnny as well as his mother and sisters. 

Alexander emphasized the need to remember the everyday realities of war and how it impacted even the most mundane aspects of life, explaining that the arts, including music, poetry and theater, are essential channels for learning about the past.

“I think that the arts really are a definite channel to learning about the past,” Alexander stated.

Along with letters from Chuck Simons, a former music store owner in Murray who wrote home from Germany, Alexander also included a jump rope rhyme and a recipe for oatmeal meatless sausage patties.

“There were shortages of everything,” said Alexander, noting a line in one of the poems from the book. “You couldn’t get butter, or it was difficult to get butter, so there was a thing called Delrich Easy Color Pack, and you would add to shortening like Crisco. I understand it wasn’t very good, from what I’ve heard.”

“After the Telegram” is available for pre-order for a discounted price until Dec. 18. The release date is scheduled for Feb. 12, 2027.

Said Alexander, “It's a book that I hope people will read, and I hope to do a lot of readings of it once it's in print. I think it's a good way to bring people together and to talk about some of the things that are difficult to talk about.”

Editor's note: Constance Alexander serves on The Murray Sentinel's Board of Directors. She had no involvement in the reporting, writing or editing of this story.