A Constellation of Kisses Has Landed on Earth

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I am happy to announce that A Constellation of Kisses has just been published and is available wherever you buy books. I am enormously proud of this anthology. I received a record number of submissions and had to turn away many good poems, but I believe that the 107 I selected give the reader a wonderful variety of poems on the topic of kissing. The collection includes poems about first kisses and final kisses, French kisses, hot kisses, cold kisses, chocolate kisses, wanted and unwanted kisses, forbidden kisses, dangerous kisses, and even dog kisses. There are long poems and short ones, a few in parts, formal poems, prose poems, and free verse poems. You will laugh and you will cry. You will remember your own kisses. And you will want more kisses.

The book begins with a wonderful foreword by poet Lee Upton. Then the 107 poems are by such poets as Dorianne Laux, David Kirby, Ron Smith, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Kurt Brown, Kim Addonizio, Caitlyn Doyle, Jeffrey Harrison, Robert Wrigley, and Cecilia Woloch. I'm happy that there are also several Terrapin poets included in the book, poets such as Ann Fisher-Wirth, Christine Stewart-Nunez, Jessica de Koninck, Karen Paul Holmes, Neil Carpathios, Michael T. Young, Patricia Clark, Geraldine Connolly, and Lynne Knight. See the entire list of contributors here.

The collection includes poems with such intriguing titles as "A woman just wants to sleep" by Nin Andrews, "Strategy of a Kiss" by Michele Battiste, "Just a Kiss Goodbye at the Airport" by Debra Bruce, "The Tiniest Toad in Moore County, NC" by John Hoppenthaler, "The Numerology of Kisses" by Allison Joseph, "Sycophant's Guide to Ass-kissing" by Marilyn L. Taylor, and "Kissing the Long Face of the Greyhound" by Yvonne Zipter.

There will be a book launch/party on Sunday, October 13, at 2:00 PM at the West Caldwell Public Library In NJ. So far I have 17 poets signed up to read. It should be a festive celebration. Please mark your calendar if you live anywhere in the area.

Here's a sample poem by Jeffrey Harrison:


Temple

Not a place of worship exactly
but one I like to go back to
and where, you could say, I take
sanctuary: this smooth area
above the ear and around the corner
from your forehead, where your hair
is as silky as milkweed.
The way to feel its featheriness best
is with the lips. Though you
are going gray, right there

your hair is as soft as a girl’s,
the two of us briefly young again
when I kiss your temple.

Get yourself a copy of the book and enjoy! Think ahead to holiday gifts and Valentine's Day gifts. Perfect for the poets in your life.

The Practicing Poet Now Published

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My new craft book, The Practicing Poet: Writing Beyond the Basics, has just entered the world. Here’s what awaits you inside the book:

Table of Contents

I. Discovering New Material
II. Finding the Best Words
III. Making Music
IV. Working with Sentences and Line Breaks
V. Crafting Surprise
VI. Achieving Tone
VII. Dealing with Feelings
VIII. Transforming Your Poems
IX. Rethinking and Revising
X. Publishing Your Book

Each of those sections includes 3 craft tips from such poets as Nicole Cooley, Patrick Donnelly, Barbara Hamby, Molly Peacock, Diane Seuss, Maggie Smith, and Lawrence Raab. I’m particularly excited about section X which assumes that most poets aspire to publish a first or a next book. April Ossmann contributed a terrific piece on manuscript organization. Next comes a piece by me on how to promote your book once you have it. The final craft tip in this section is from Adele Kenny on how to give an effective public reading, a topic she knows a lot about as she is the founding director of a popular and long-running series in New Jersey.

Each section also includes 3 Model Poems contributed by such poets as Thomas Lux, Joseph Bathanti, Camille Dungy, James Galvin, and Vievee Francis. Each of the 30 model poems is followed by an analysis of its poetic techniques. Then comes a prompt based on the poem. This prompt asks the reader to write a new poem employing the model poem’s techniques.

Each of the 30 prompts is followed by 2 Sample Poems from such poets as Patricia Fargnoli, Ann Fisher-Wirth, Libby Bernardin, Karen Paul Holmes, Tina Kelley, and Scott Wiggerman. These 60 sample poems suggest the possibilities in the prompts and should provoke thought and discussion.

Each of the 10 sections includes a Bonus Prompt to keep you writing and writing. These bonus prompts are short and perfect for days when you think you have nothing to write about. They have the benefit of being recyclable.

Each of the 10 sections concludes with a Top Tips list. I invited 10 wonderful poets to each compile a list of their best poetry wisdom. They came up with amazing lists. These poets include Patricia Smith, Lee Upton, George Bilgere, David Kirby, Robert Wrigley, Dorianne Laux, Jan Beatty, Ellen Bass, Alberto Rios, and Oliver de la Paz. You’ll love the variety in these lists and will, I’m sure, revisit them repeatedly.

I have been compiling the material in this book for more than 3 years. It would make me very happy to know that it had found its way into your hands, taught you a thing or two or three, and compelled you to pick up your pen and write new poems.

Eat This Poem

Many poets love food and many foodies love poetry. So a cookbook that includes recipes and poems seems like a natural combination—a most delightful one in Nicole Gulotta’s new Eat This Poem: A Literary Feast of Recipes Inspired by Poetry.

Gulotta’s book evolved out of her blog of the same name. I discovered the blog some years ago and was delighted by the recipes, the poems, and the photos. I sent in some poems and soon “Blueberry” appeared with Nicole's recipe for blueberry buckwheat pancakes. Eventually, Nicole began blogging about her dream of doing a book. Eat This Poem is the realization of that dream.

I like the size of this book (6 x 9, 205 pages) and its French flaps which make it easy to mark your place. I like the artwork that appears throughout. I like the symmetry of the unusual organizational plan: five sections each broken down into five parts. Each part begins with a poem by such poets as me (!), Mary Oliver, Louise Gluck, Jane Kenyon, Billy Collins, and Philip Levine. Each poem is followed by a brief and excellent commentary, and then by three recipes.

The author likes fresh food, natural organic products, and out-of-the-ordinary recipes such as Mushroom and Brie Quesadillas, Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potatoes, Pear and Manchego Grilled Cheese, and Strawberry Birthday Cake.

Gulotta has studied poetry and traveled extensively sampling and studying different cuisines. Her love of poetry and good food is evident in this wonderful cookbook which is deliciously priced at only $18.95—currently on sale at Amazon at $10.47.

Enter to Win a Free Copy of The Doll Collection

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Doll Collection

by Diane Lockward

Giveaway ends June 14, 2016.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Terrapin Books Publishes Its First Book: The Doll Collection

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I’m pleased to announce that the first book from my new press, Terrapin Books, has just been released. The Doll Collection is an anthology of poems, the first-ever collection focused on dolls. Our first submission period resulted in an amazing number of submissions, so many that selection was very difficult. But I’m satisfied that the 88 outstanding poems by 89 outstanding poets make for an exciting and varied collection. Poets include Patricia Fargnoli, Ann Fisher-Wirth, David Trinidad, Richard Garcia, Cecilia Woloch, Michael Waters, and Alice Friman. Visit the website to see the entire list of poets.

I’m also very pleased with the cover. I initially had a cover image that I found on Fotolia. The image included some antique dolls in front of a dollhouse, but, while I loved the image, it just wasn’t working out in the cover design. So I went back to Fotolia, uncovered the photographer’s name, and googled him. The Google search led me to Emanuele Mazzoni on Facebook. It turned out that he lives in Italy. So I private messaged him at Facebook and asked if he had any similar images. He had many and was happy to send them to me. I fell in love with the one you see on the cover. The photo was taken at a doll museum in Provence, France.

Poet Nicole Cooley provided the Introduction and it’s wonderful. Dolls have an intriguing history and play a significant role in our lives—and not just the lives of girls. As Nicole writes,

          This wonderful anthology of poems Diane Lockward has edited asks us to 

          rethink dolls. Not just toys, dolls signify much more than childhood. Dolls 

          shape our thinking about the female body, about race and class. Dolls influence 

          our understanding of childhood. Symbols of perfection, they both comfort 

          and terrify. . . .They are replicas, simulacra, souvenirs and secrets. They 

          are objects we recall with intense nostalgia but also bodies we dismember 

          and destroy.

At this point I’ve sent out all the contributors’ copies and am planning some events. The official book launch will be on Sunday, July 17, at my local library in New Jersey. The librarian is working on lining up a doll exhibit to accompany the reading. One of the poets has offered her doll collection for loan. Several of the poets, it turned out, are also collectors. Save the date if you’re anywhere near West Caldwell, NJ. Right now it looks like we’ll have 15 poets joining this celebratory reading.

I hope you’ll pick up a copy of The Doll Collection. As many of the contributors have noted, the book also makes a great gift.

Nicole ends her Introduction with this invitation:

          The Doll Collection shows us that dolls are windows to other worlds.

          Dolls are portals to our pasts and to ourselves.

          Dolls open the doors to our imagination.

Reading for Rabbit Ears: TV Poems

This Thursday, April 7, I'll be reading with seven other poets from Rabbit Ears: TV Poems, along with editor Joel Allegretti. Each poet will read his or her own poem from the anthology and one other poem selected for us by Joel. Serendipity compelled Joel to choose for me a poem by Karla Huston, a poet who lives in Wisconsin and who I know in a long-distance kind of way and have met in person at a few Dodge Poetry Festivals. I think that if given the choice I probably would have chosen to read Karla's poem. The reading will last approximately one hour. Try to join us.

Joys of the Table: An Anthology of Culinary Verse

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Last week my contributor’s copy of Joys of the Table: An Anthology of Culinary Verse arrived in the mail. Edited by Sally Zakariya and published by Richer Resources Publications, the collection includes food-related poems by 75 poets, the majority women but not all women. Some of the women poets familiar to me are Lucille Lang Day, Carol Dorf, Erica Goss, Charlotte Mandel, Andrea Potos, Susan Rich, and Kim Roberts. The male poets include Lawrence Schimel, Nicholas Samaras, Michael H. Levin, and Conrad Geller. A full list of the contributors with bios may be found HERE.

The book is divided into six sections: Amuse Bouche, What We Eat, Food and Love, Geography of Food, Kitchen Memories, and Food and Mortality. I found many mouth-watering poems in this tasty collection. I also found some tempting recipes scattered among the poems.

My own contribution, “Linguini,” is included in the Food and Love section.

From the What We Eat section I especially liked this poem by Erica Goss:


Afternoon in the Shape of a Pear

One hundred pounds
on the kitchen counter,
shoulder- to-shoulder
like sweet, lumpy trolls.
I touch each one, feel
hidden seeds moving
and the hairy tickle
of the blossom-ends.
Something so bland
takes sharpness well:
bleu cheese,
the paring knife.
Perishable flesh
glowing like pearl
leaves sugary grains
under my fingernails.
In its lopsided heart
a lute-shaped crater
hides the worm
who, though blind
knows the importance
of being first.

             —Santa Clara Review, 2013


A favorite poem from the Food and Mortality section is this one by Susan Rich:

Food for Fallen Angels

          If food be the music of love, play on.—Twelfth Night, misremembered

If they can remember living at all, it is the food they miss:
a plate of goji berries, pickled ginger, gorgonzola prawns
dressed on a bed of miniature thyme, a spoon

glistening with pomegranate seeds, Russian black bread
lavished with July cherries so sweet, it was dangerous to revive;
to slide slowly above the lips, flick and swallow-almost, but not quite.

Perhaps more like this summer night: lobsters in the lemon grove
a picnicker's trick of moonlight and platters; the table dressed
in gold kissed glass, napkins spread smooth as dark chocolate.

If they sample a pastry-glazed Florentine, praline hearts—
heaven is lost. It's the cinnamon and salt our souls return for—
rocket on the tongue, the clove of garlic: fresh and flirtatious.

          —From The Alchemist's Kitchen, White Pine Press, 2010


The following recipe, contributed by Eric Forsbergh, sounds outstanding. I think I’d better try it soon.

Pavlovas with Berry Topping

Meringues
4 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar or strained lemon juice
1 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Berry Topping
1 pint strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and sliced
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup each fresh raspberries and blueberries

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons  sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 250 degrees. Line cookie sheets or jellyroll pans with parchment paper. Draw 3- to 3 1/2 -inch-diameter circles, well apart from each other, on the parchment paper and turn the paper over.

Combine egg whites, salt, and vinegar. Whip the whites until they hold firm peaks but are not stiff. Gradually add 3/4 cup of the sugar, then whip in the vanilla. Mix the last 1/4 cup sugar with the cornstarch and fold it in.

Spoon the meringue onto the parchment paper in the circles, spreading and smoothing to fill. Use a spoon to make an indentation in the center to hold the cream and fruit. Bake for one hour. Turn the oven off and leave them in the oven with the door open for another 30 minutes.

For the berry topping, stir the strawberries and the sugar in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. Just before serving, fold in the raspberries  and blueberries.

Whip cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. To assemble, place each meringue on a dessert plate. Spoon whipped cream on each and add the berry topping, drizzling the berry juices over all.


This book would make a great gift for friends who love poetry and food. Don’t forget to be a friend to yourself. Bon appetit!

The Perfect Gift and Just in Time

Shafiq Naz has again published the Alhambra Poetry Desk Calendar. I can't think of a more perfect holiday gift, for poets and non-poets alike.

The calendar includes a poem for each day of the year. You will find more than 300 poets, classic and contemporary. Many poems are accompanied by commentary from their poets. This is a great combination desk calendar and anthology.

The price is $29.95

The best place to purchase the Alhambra Poetry Calendar 2013 is at the Academy of American Poets online store.

My poem, "Linguini," is nestled among poems by the following poets:

DICK ALLEN * MONIZA ALVI * NIN ANDREWS * ANONYMOUS * TALVIKKI ANSEL * RAE ARMANTROUT * MATTHEW ARNOLD * ROBERT BAGG * DAVID BAKER * CHRISTIANNE BALK * MARY JO BANG * JANE BARKER * WILLIAM BARNES * ELLEN BASS * DAN BEACHY-QUICK * THOMAS LOVELL BEDDOES * JACK B. BEDELL *AMY BEEDER * APHRA BEHN * CHARLES BERNSTEIN * AMBROSE BIERCE * LINDA BIERDS * DAVID BIESPIEL * SOPHIE CABOT BLACK * WILLIAM BLAKE * ADRIAN BLEVINS * ROBERT BLY * STEPHANIE BOLSTER * BRUCE BOND * TODD BOSS * WILLIAM LISLE BOWLES * ROBERT BRIDGES * GEOFFREY BROCK * CHARLOTTE BRONTË * EMILY BRONTË * RUPERT BROOKE * JOEL BROUWER * WILLIAM BROWNE * ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING * ROBERT BROWNING * WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT * COLETTE BRYCE * JOHN BUNYAN * ROBERT BURNS * KATHRYN STRIPLING BYER * THOMAS CAMPION * VAHNI CAPILDEO * CAROLINE CARVER * CHRISTINE CASSON * ANN CEFOLA * GEORGE CHAPMAN * THOMAS CHATTERTON * GEOFFREY CHAUCER * G. K. CHESTERTON * JOHN CLARE * ANDREA COHEN * SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE * MORTIMER COLLINS * CALLY CONAN-DAVIES * DAVID CONSTANTINE * WILLIAM JOHNSON CORY * ABRAHAM COWLEY * WILLIAM COWPER * GEORGE CRABBE * HART CRANE * STEPHEN CRANE * RICHARD CRASHAW * SAMUEL DANIEL * JOHN DAVIDSON * SIR JOHN DAVIES * JOHN DAVIES OF HEREFORD * W. H. DAVIES * JON DAVIS * DANIEL DEFOE * GREG DELANTY * SIR JOHN DENHAM * CARL DENNIS * TOI DERRICOTTE * EMILY DICKINSON * FRED DINGS * GREGORY DJANIKIAN * JOHN DONNE * ERNEST DOWSON * MICHAEL DRAYTON * JOHN DRYDEN * SASHA DUGDALE * DENISE DUHAMEL * IAN DUHIG * STEPHEN DUNN * STUART DYBEK * SIR EDWARD DYER * GEORGE ELIOT * ALISTAIR ELLIOT * RALPH WALDO EMERSON * EDWARD FIELD * ANNE FINCH, COUNTESS OF WINCHILSEA * ANNIE FINCH * JOHN FLETCHER * WILLIAM FOWLER * CAROL FROST * ROBERT FROST * JOHN FULLER * ALICE FULTON * JOHN GAY * DOREEN GILDROY * MARIA MAZZIOTTI GILLAN * DANA GIOIA * BARNABE GOOGE * GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON * THOMAS GRAY * JESSICA GREENBAUM * LINDA GREGERSON * EAMON GRENNAN * KELLE GROOM * IVOR GURNEY * MARILYN HACKER * RACHEL HADAS * KIMIKO HAHN * SASKIA HAMILTON * SOPHIE HANNAH * THOMAS HARDY * JOY HARJO * JAMES HARMS * DAVID HARSENT * DOLORES HAYDEN * WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY * JOHN HENNESSY * HENRY VIII, KING OF ENGLAND * GEORGE HERBERT* MARY SIDNEY HERBERT * DAVID HERNANDEZ * ROBERT HERRICK * BOB HICOK * BRENDA HILLMAN *  EDWARD HIRSCH * JANE HIRSHFIELD * H. L. HIX * TONY HOAGLAND * RICHARD HOFFMANN * THOMAS HOOD * PAUL HOOVER * GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS * JOHN HOPPENTHALER * A. E. HOUSMAN * HENRY HOWARD, EARL OF SURREY * ANDREW HUDGINS * GLYN HUGHES * T. E. HULME * MARIA HUMMEL LEIGH HUNT * MARK IRWIN * HELEN IVORY * AMANDA JERNIGAN * JAMES WELDON JOHNSON * LIONEL JOHNSON * SAMUEL JOHNSON * DEVIN JOHNSTON * LIBBY FALK JONES * BEN JONSON * JAMES JOYCE * MARILYN KALLET * LAURA KASISCHKE * JOHN KEATS * X. J. KENNEDY * WAQAS KHWAJA JOHN KINSELLA * SUSAN KINSOLVING * RUDYARD KIPLING * DEBORAH LANDAU * WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR * D. H. LAWRENCE * SYDNEY LEA * EDWARD LEAR * ELEANOR LERMAN * PHILLIS LEVIN * TIM LIARDET * SARAH LINDSAY * DIANE LOCKWARD * WILLIAM LOGAN * HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW * RICHARD LOVELACE * AMY LOWELL * JOHN LYLY * AMIT MAJMUDAR * RANDALL MANN * CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE  * ANDREW MARVELL * JOHN MASEFIELD * DAVID MASON * EDGAR LEE MASTERS * CLEOPATRA MATHIS * JOHN MATTHIAS * GARDNER MCFALL * JOSHUA MEHIGAN * HERMAN MELVILLE * GEORGE MEREDITH * RICHARD MICHELSON * JOHN MILTON * ROBERT MINHINNICK * CAROL MOLDAW * LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU * ELIZABETH MOODY * THOMAS MOORE * WILLIAM MORRIS * PAUL MULDOON * THOMAS NASHE * WILLIAM NEW * RICHARD NEWMAN * AIMEE NEZHUKUMATATHIL * BARBARA NICKEL * EDWARD NOBLES * MARY NOONAN * CHRISTOPHER NORTH * KATHERINE NORTHROP * D. NURKSE * NAOMI SHIHAB NYE * JOHN BOYLE O’REILLY * WILFRED OWEN * ERIC PANKEY * JAY PARINI * ELISE PARTRIDGE * LINDA PASTAN * COVENTRY PATMORE * MOLLY PEACOCK * WALTER PATER * GEORGE PEELE * PASCALE PETIT * ROBERT PINSKY * DONALD O. PLATT * EDGAR ALLAN POE * ALEXANDER POPE * D. A. POWELL * MATTHEW PRIOR * ADELAIDE ANNE PROCTER * SIMON RAE * SIR WALTER RALEIGH * JAMES RICHARDSON * ATSURO RILEY * ROBIN ROBERTSON * EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON * PETER ROBINSON * PADRAIG ROONEY * ISAAC ROSENBERG * J. ALLYN ROSSER * CHRISTINA ROSSETTI * DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI * MICHAEL RYAN * LAWRENCE SAIL * FIONA SAMPSON * CARL SANDBERG * REG SANER * GEORGE SANTAYANA * ROBERT SAXTON * GRACE SCHULMAN * SIR WALTER SCOTT * SIR CHARLES SEDLEY * WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE * RAVI SHANKAR * DON SHARE * PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY * ANDREW SHIELDS * VIVIAN SHIPLEY * ROBERT SOUTHEY * PENELOPE SHUTTLE * SIR PHILIP SIDNEY * JOHN SKELTON * ED SKOOG * TOM SLEIGH BRUCE SMITH * CHARLOTTE SMITH * LISA RUSS SPAAR * EDMUND SPENSER * ELIZABETH SPIRES * A. E. STALLINGS * ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON * DABNEY STUART * MATTHEW SWEENEY * JONATHAN SWIFT * ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE * J. M. SYNGE * ARTHUR SZE * GEORGE SZIRTES * MARILYN L. TAYLOR * SARA TEASDALE * ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON * WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY * EDWARD THOMAS * JAMES THOMSON * ADAM THORPE * RICHARD TILLINGHAST * DANIEL TOBIN * BRIAN TURNER * MARK TWAIN * WENDY VIDELOCK * KEITH WALDORP * SUE WALKER * EDMUND WALLER * ROSANNA WARREN * MICHAEL WATERS * WALT WHITMAN * OSCAR WILDE * JOHN WILMOT, EARL OF ROCHESTER * ELEANOR WILNER * TERRI WITEK * CECILIA WOLOCH * WILLIAM WORDSWORTH * BARON WORMSER * ROBERT WRIGLEY * MARY WROTH * SIR THOMAS WYATT * ELINOR WYLIE * WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS * STEPHEN YENSER * GARY YOUNG * MATTHEW ZAPRUDER *

New this year is a calendar for young readers. Here, too, there's a poem for every day of the year. Poems are by more than 200 poets. What a wonderful way to instill a love of poetry in young readers! At year's end, the calendar can be saved as an anthology.

The price is $22.95.

The Poetry Calendar for Young Readers 2013 is also available at the Academy of American Poets online store.

These are serious poems, ones written for adult readers but holding appeal for young readers.

My poem, "Blueberry," finds itself hanging out with poems by the following poets:

THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH * DICK ALLEN * WILLIAM ALLINGHAM * WALTER ANCARROW * NIN ANDREWS * ANONYMOUS * MATTHEW ARNOLD * DAVID BAKER * CHRISTIANNE BALK * MARY JO BANG * THOMAS BASTARD * DAN BEACHY-QUICK * JACK B. BEDELL * THOMAS LOVELL BEDDOES * HENRY CHARLES BEECHING * HILAIRE BELLOC * MARGARET BETHAM-EDWARDS * WILLIAM BLAKE * STEPHANIE BOLSTER * ANNE BRADSTREET * GEOFFREY BROCK * EMILY BRONTË *RUPERT BROOKE * TOM BROWN * ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING * ROBERT BROWNING * JOHN BUNYAN * ROBERT BURNS * KATHRYN STRIPLING BYER * BLISS CARMAN * LEWIS CARROLL * CAROLINE CARVER * ANN CEFOLA * G. K. CHESTERTON * COLLEY CIBBER * JOHN CLARE * SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE * SARA COLERIDGE * CALLY CONAN-DAVIES * HELEN GRAY CONE * GEORGE COOPER * RICHARD CORBET * WILLIAM COWPER * STEPHEN CRANE * W. H. DAVIES * CHARLES DICKENS * EMILY DICKINSON * GREGORY DJANIKIAN * JOHN DONNE * LORD ALFRED DOUGLAS * ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE * SASHA DUGDALE * PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR * GEORGE ELIOT * RALPH WALDO EMERSON * EDWARD FIELD * JAMES THOMAS FIELDS * ANNIE FINCH * JAMES ELROY FLECKER * ROBERT FROST * JOHN FULLER * ALICE FULTON OLIVER GOLDSMITH * GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON * KENNETH GRAHAME * KIMIKO HAHN * THOMAS HARDY * JAMES HARMS * DAVID HARSENT * FELICIA DOROTHEA HEMANS * JOHN HENNESSY * GEORGE HERBERT * DAVID HERNANDEZ * ROBERT HERRICK * WILLIAM HICKSON * EDWARD HIRSCH * HEINRICH HOFFMANN * THOMAS HOOD * PAUL HOOVER * GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS * JOHN HOPPENTHALER * A. E. HOUSMAN * RICHARD HOVEY * HENRY HOWARD, EARL OF SURREY * ANDREW HUDGINS * T. E. HULME * LEIGH HUNT * HELEN IVORY * HELEN HUNT JACKSON * AMANDA JERNIGAN * LIBBY FALK JONES * BEN JONSON * JAMES JOYCE * JOHN KEATS * X. J. KENNEDY * JOYCE KILMER * CHARLES KINGSLEY * SUSAN KINSOLVING * RUDYARD KIPLING * CHARLES LAMB * MARY LAMB * WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR * D. H. LAWRENCE * EMMA LAZARUS * EDWARD LEAR * ELEANOR LERMAN * PHILLIS LEVIN * VACHEL LINDSAY * DIANE LOCKWARD * HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW * JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL * JOHN LYLY * AMIT MAJMUDAR * KATHERINE MANSFIELD * WALTER DE LA MARE * CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE * JOHN MASEFIELD * DAVID MASON * JOEL MCCREA * GARDNER MCFALL * JOSHUA MEHIGAN * HERMAN MELVILLE * RICHARD MICHELSON * EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY * JOHN MILTON * CAROL MOLDAW * EDITH NESBIT * WILLIAM NEW * SIR HENRY NEWBOLT * RICHARD NEWMAN * AIMEE NEZHUKUMATATHIL * BARBARA NICKEL * EDWARD NOBLES * CHRISTOPHER NORTH * ALFRED NOYES * NAOMI SHIHAB NYE * JOHN O’KEEFE * OTTÓ ORBÁN * ELISE PARTRIDGE * LINDA PASTAN * COVENTRY PATMORE * MOLLY PEACOCK * JOSEPHINE PRESTON PEABODY * HUGH PETERS * MARJORIE PICKTHALL * DONALD O. PLATT * EDGAR ALLAN POE * ALEXANDER POPE * SIMON RAE * SIR WALTER RALEIGH * SIR WALTER A. RALEIGH * WILLIAM BRIGHTY RANDS * JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY * PADRAIG ROONEY * CHRISTINA ROSSETTI * DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI * MICHAEL RYAN * LAWRENCE SAIL * CARL SANDBERG * JOHN GODFREY SAXE * SIR WALTER SCOTT * SIR CHARLES SEDLEY * ALAN SEEGER * WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE * PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY * ANDREW SHIELDS * SIR PHILIP SIDNEY * EDWARD ROLAND SILL * ROBERT SOUTHEY * EDMUND SPENSER * ELIZABETH SPIRES * A. E. STALLINGS * ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON * DABNEY STUART * MATTHEW SWEENEY * ARTHUR SZE * ERNÖ SZÉP * GEORGE SZIRTES * JANE TAYLOR * MARILYN L. TAYLOR * SARA TEASDALE * ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON * WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY * EDWARD THOMAS * ADAM THORPE * DANIEL TOBIN * MICHAEL WATERS * ISAAC WATTS * SÁNDOR WEÖRES * WALT WHITMAN * JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER *ELLA WHEELER WILCOX * JOHN WILMOT, EARL OF ROCHESTER * ELEANOR WILNER * TERRI WITEK * WILLIAM WORDSWORTH * SIR THOMAS WYATT * ELINOR WYLIE * WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS * GARY YOUNG * MATTHEW ZAPRUDER * ZOLTÁN ZELK

Filling a Void with Fire on Her Tongue

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Those of you who already own kindle readers and use them to buy and read books have perhaps noticed the paucity of available poetry ebooks. Fire on Her Tongue: An eBook Anthology of Contemporary Women's Poetry takes a giant step towards remedying that situation. Published by Two Sylvias Press, a press created by the editors, this collection is, as far as I know, the first ebook of its kind. The collection begins with an Introduction by the two editors. They begin by explaining what led them to undertake this project:

This project began innocently, with the purchase of a Nook and an iPad, with both of us browsing through the thousands and thousands of eBooks, asking ourselves, “Where is the poetry?” We noticed that while we could purchase our favorite prose works in eBook format, we could not find many contemporary poetry collections. While technology has moved ahead, bringing with it the novelists, memoirists, and nonfiction writers, it has seemingly left behind the poets. We began to wonder, “What if we contacted our favorite women poets and asked them to be in an eBook anthology? Could we successfully tackle the formatting issues unique to poetry, which have dissuaded so many strong poets from publishing their work on an electronic platform?  Could we, editors of a print journal, publish the first eBook of contemporary women’s poetry?”

The answer to their question is: Yes! Kudos to editors Kelli Russell Agodon and Annette Spaulding-Convey for braving uncharted territory and doing it so well.

Undoubtedly the dearth of poetry ebooks is the result of the difficulty that has existed in formatting poems properly for ebooks. Previous efforts resulted in collections with poems that were double spaced and had dreadful line breaks. Fortunately, the technology has now advanced so that a pair of industrious and determined editors, both poets themselves, could accomplish their mission and present the poems as they ought to be presented. They've even mastered the challenge of justified margins for the prose poems. Readers will see the poems just as they appear in print.

This 460-page anthology includes over 70 women poets. Each poet is represented by 2-5 poems. Each poet's poems are preceded by a brief bio and a link to the poet's website. Acknowledgments follow each poet's poems. Given the way an ebook works, this arrangement makes good sense as it eliminates the need to scroll to the end of the book to find this information.

As might be expected, there is an enormous variety of poetry—formal, free verse, prose poems. The poets cover the US landscape from East Coast to West Coast. One characteristic the poets have in common is that they are all still living.

The poets are democratically arranged in alphabetical order as follows:

Kim Addonizio, Deborah Ager, Ivy Alvarez, Nin Andrews, Elizabeth Aoki, Elizabeth Austen, Lana Hechtman Ayers, Dorothy Barresi, Judith Barrington, Mary Biddinger, Elizabeth Bradfield, Ronda Broatch, Gloria Burgess, Jill Crammond, Barbara Crooker, Rachel Dacus, Madeline DeFrees, Susan Elbe, Patricia Fargnoli, Annie Finch, Kathleen Flenniken, Rachel Contreni Flynn, Rebecca Foust, Suzanne Frischkorn, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Maya Ganesan, Arielle Greenberg, Kate Greenstreet, Lola Haskins, Eloise Klein Healy, Jane Hirshfield, Erin Coughlin Hollowell, Anna Maria Hong, Holly Hughes, Ann Batchelor Hursey, Luisa A. Igloria, Jill McCabe Johnson, Tina Kelley, Janet Norman Knox, Keetje Kuipers, Dorianne Laux, Jenifer Browne Lawrence, Kate Lebo, Carol Levin, Rebecca Loudon, Erin Malone, Marjorie Manwaring, Frances McCue, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, January Gill O’Neil, Alicia Ostriker, Nancy Pagh, Alison Pelegrin, Susan Rich, Rachel Rose, Natasha Sajé, Peggy Shumaker, Martha Silano, Judith Skillman, Patricia Smith, Ann Spiers, A.E. Stallings, Joannie Kervran Stangeland, Marilyn L. Taylor, Molly Tenenbaum, Ann Tweedy, Nance Van Winckel, Katrina Vandenberg, Sarah Vap, Kary Wayson, Katharine Whitcomb, Wendy Wisner, Rachel Zucker

This book is ideal for curling up in a comfortable chair but also makes a terrific traveling companion. In print such an anthology would most likely be priced around $30. But this ebook is available for a mere $7.99!

Just in Time for the Holidays

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I'm happy to have a poem in this new anthology, The Best of the Barefoot Muse, published by Barefoot Muse Press. Editor and publisher Anna Evans has gathered together sixty poems from over fifty poets, all of whom had their poems selected from Evans' online journal, The Barefoot Muse, which for five years published formal and metrical poetry. The collection includes contemporary examples of the sonnet, villanelle, triolet, and sestina as well as more unusual forms such as the ghazal and the fib and many poems in structures of the poet's own devising.

I'm represented by the poem, "Love Test: A Ghazal." Here's a list of all the poets:

Mike Alexander    Tiel Aisha Ansari    Peter Austin    Michael Battram    Kendall A. Bell    Kate Bernadette Benedict    Kim Bridgford    Chris Bullard     Michael Cantor     Catherine Chandler     Edmund Conti     Maryann Corbett     Robert W. Crawford     Erica Dawson     Frank De Canio     Jehanne Dubrow     Robert Klein Engler    Julie R. Enszer    Annie Finch    Carol Frith    Ona Gritz    Lois Marie Harrod    Penny Harter    Paul Hostovsky    Juleigh Howard-Hobson    A.M. Juster    T.S. Kerrigan    Deborah Kreuze    David W. Landrum    Quincy R. Lehr    J. Patrick Lewis    Diane Lockward    Austin MacRae    Laura Maffei    James Scannell McCormick    Susan McLean    Rick Mullin    Bruce W. Niedt    Eric Norris    Amber Norwood    Chris O'Carroll    Frank Osen    Aaron Poochigian    Ray Pospisil    Jennifer Reeser    David J. Rothman    Marybeth Rua-Larsen    E. Shaun Russell    Paul Christian Stevens    Clay Stockton    Peter Swanson    Gail White    James S. Wilk

The collection is now available at Amazon, just in time for a wonderful holiday gift. In fact, what could be a better gift than a book of poetry? This one is very reasonably priced at $10.95.

Poetry from Paradise Valley

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 I love poetry anthologies. As a reader of an anthology, I enjoy the variety of voices and styles. As a contributor to an anthology, I appreciate the opportunity to have a previously published poem reach a wider audience. As both a reader and a poet, I am happy to recommend to you a new anthology, Poetry from Paradise Valley, edited by Edward Byrne, the editor of Valparaiso Poetry Review, one of the first online journals I ever submitted to and still one of my favorites. Once the journal reached its tenth year, Ed decided to celebrate this milepost with an anniversary anthology of poems he's published in the journal. Rather than stuff the collection, Ed limited it to 50 poems.

Here's how Ed describes the collection:

Poetry from Paradise Valley includes a stellar roster of 50 poets. Among the contributors are a former Poet Laureate of the United States, a winner of the Griffin International Prize, two Pulitzer Prize winners, two National Book Award winners, two National Book Critics Circle winners, six finalists for the National Book Award, four finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award, two finalists for the Pulitzer Prize, and a few dozen recipients of other honors, such as fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts. . .

Not bad! Needless to say, I am delighted to have my poem, April at the Arboretum, included among the poems of such a "stellar" group of poets.

You can purchase the book at the Pecan Grove website. There you will find an order form or you can use the convenience of PayPal. The book is also available at Amazon, but the publisher's site is the better deal.

Here's the list of poets included in the anthology:

DAVID BAKER * JOHN BALABAN * CLAIRE BATEMAN * J.P. DANCING BEAR * MICHELLE BITTING * JARED CARTER * KATHARINE COLES * BILLY COLLINS * MARK CONWAY * ALFRED CORN * BARBARA CROOKER * KWAME DAWES * CORNELIUS EADY * LYNNELL EDWARDS * W.D. EHRHART * CLAUDIA EMERSON * BERNARDINE EVARISTO * PATRICIA FARGNOLI * ANNIE FINCH * DAISY FRIED * BRENDAN GALVIN * PAMELA GEMIN * REGINALD GIBBONS * DAVID GRAHAM * H. PALMER HALL * JONATHAN HOLDEN * T.R. HUMMER * GRAY JACOBIK * ALLISON JOSEPH * DAVID KIRBY * DORIANNE LAUX * LAURENCE LIEBERMAN * FRANNIE LINDSAY * DIANE LOCKWARD * SEBASTIAN MATTHEWS * WILLIAM MATTHEWS * WALT McDONALD * ELISE PASCHEN * KEVIN PILKINGTON * STANLEY PLUMLY * SHEROD SANTOS * MARGOT SCHILPP * FLOYD SKLOOT * DAVE SMITH * VIRGIL SUAREZ * DANIEL TOBIN * CATHERINE TUFARIELLO * 
BRIAN TURNER * INGRID WENDT * CHARLES WRIGHT 


An Online Poetry Anthology: Poetry.Us

Photo by Mark Thalman

I am delighted and honored to have been invited to have my work included in Mark Thalman's wonderful new online anthology, Poetry.Us. This is an evolving site which will continue to grow.  I'm already in some very good company, e.g., Alicia Ostriker, Pat Fargnoli, Marilyn L. Taylor, Barbara Crooker, Ingrid Wendt, Tess Gallagher, Floyd Skloot, and Ron Slate. There are 29 poets posted with more coming soon. I've just learned that Linda Pastan and Maria Mazziotti Gillan will soon join the anthology.

This should be a useful resource. Each poet has a brief bio, three poems, a photo, book covers, and writing tips. There is an index that includes links to each poet's page. A separate page hosts links to each poet's website.

I suspect that teachers will find this site a useful instructional tool. If I were still teaching, I might ask my students to peruse the anthology and select 10 poets for a closer reading. After each student has read the selected 30 poems, I might then ask everyone to select one of the 10 poets for a closer study, beginning with the poet's website. Or I might ask each student to select one poem to prepare for an oral reading and discussion. Or to select two poems for a comparison / contrast.

As the anthology includes all contemporary poets, all living, it should prove especially useful in a contemporary poetry / lit course. It could very well serve as the semester anthology with students being asked to buy individual books by the poets they choose to study more closely.

The Writer's Tips should also prove thought-provoking and inspirational. Here's a sample from Alicia Ostriker: "Read voraciously. Memorize poems. And write what you are afraid to write."

But the anthology is more than an instructional resource. It's a living anthology and should offer hours of pleasure to poetry lovers.

My three poems include one from each of my books. They are "'How Is a Shell Like Regret?'" from Temptation by Water, "Linguini" from What Feeds Us, and "My Husband Discovers Poetry" from Eve's Red Dress.

Check it out.

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