Rock My Soul

<p>On June 28 2015 retired California State University Chico librarian Jim Dwyer was found unconscious on the floor of the men's room in a mini-mart outside Sacramento apparently on his way home from the Bay Area opening night of the Grateful Dead's Fare Thee Well tour. He died that evening in a nearby hospital. A nationally recognized literary scholar Jim had dubbed his alter ego the Rev. Junkyard Moondog reading beat-like poetry at open mics joining local bands on stage marching for peace and justice working to save endangered species and generally raising his freak flag high.</p><p><br></p><p>A year after Jim's death his friend and colleague Steve Metzger bought Jim's tiny run-down cottage from Jim's brother Billy whose only condition was that Metzger not remove Jim's giant peace sign-fashioned of yellow and white freeway-lane divider dots-from the sloping street-facing roof of the house. Metzger adjusting to recent personal changes of his own set about restoring the cottage. He eventually christened it the Blue Peace House.</p><p><br></p><p>Part biography part memoir <em>Rock My Soul: A Poet's Heart a Brokedown Palace and a Final Fare-Thee-Well </em>examines Jim's complicated life drawing on extensive interviews with Jim's neighbors friends and colleagues. The book also highlights turning points in Metzger's 40-year freelance writing career along the way offering a look at Chico history including the filming of <em>The Adventures of Robin Hood</em> Woody Guthrie's little-known summer in Chico the WWII Chico Army Air Field and the beginnings of the Chico Peace and Justice Center. </p><p><br></p><p>Facebook posts from Jim's/Moondog's friends after they learn of his death shed further light on the life of this eccentric scholar/artist.</p>