When I first met C.W. Pruitt at CATH Inc., he showed me the laminated poetry cards that he sold in the coffee shop. They were very cool - inspirational, colorful, and collectable. I sensed that this was someone special to Broad Ripple.

CW was born in Grayson, Kentucky. His mother was an English teacher when he was young. CW recalls, "She encouraged us to use the English language creatively and correctly." CW moved to Indianapolis during high school. He studied psychology at Ball State University, and was the president of the psychology honor society there. During his leadership the membership tripled. He graduated cum laude and went on to study for a masters degree in psychological intelligence testing.

It was during grad school that CW became enamored with poetry. "I was searching my soul, trying to find my place," said CW. "I saw Maya Angelou on television at the Clinton inauguration reading her poem, On The Pulse Of The Morning. I was transfixed. That night I started writing poetry while trying to finish my masters degree."

Later, CW was writing poetry and working as a crisis counselor downtown on the overnight shift. "On June 2, 1998, the poem Jesus In The Ghetto came to me in one second," said CW. "I typed it out and it came to me. I laminated 144 copies of it and distributed them at 54th and College. It was very well received."

Since then, CW has had five trips to psychiatric hospitals to treat manic depression. It was during one of those hospital stays that he found a true friend in the reverend Richard Jones. "Richard visited me every day at the hospital," recalled CW. "We now collaborate on the poetry. He keeps me centered." CW is now sober, after a struggle with drugs and alcohol. "It is paradoxical," said Richard. "The man who used to counsel people in addictions became a counselor in crisis."

Until it closed, CATH Inc. was where CW sold his laminated poetry. It was Richard's idea to make the cards the same size as credit cards to easily fit in a wallet. Richard also designs and creates the artwork for each poem. The production process results in a dimensional look and feel to the cards. "Many times some one will come up to me and take one of my poetry cards out of their wallet," said CW. "They say 'I have carried this with me for six years'. That is a good feeling. It's all about love."

When CATH Inc. closed, manager Nora Spitznogle carried the small easel holding the laminated cards across the street to Northside News. "It's your turn now," she said. CW's poetry cards are now for sale at Northside News, 5408 North College Avenue.

We will hear more from CW soon. We expect him to become a regular contributor to the Broad Ripple Gazette. We both have the same mission - It's All About Love.