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.

Poetry Reading with Color Slides: Charlotte Mandel

This should be a lovely and special poetry reading. Charlotte Mandel will read from her new book, Through a Garden Gate. This is a book of poems inspired by the different settings in her son-in-law's spectacular and huge garden. The book includes color photos taken by the son-in-law. The reading will be accompanied by a slide show. Refreshments follow the reading.

Please join us at 2:00 on Sunday, April 10, at the West Caldwell Public Library.

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.

Self-Promotion: When to Say Go and When to Say No

We all know that when you have a new book out a certain amount of promotion is necessary. That's certainly true for those of us with small presses, but it's also true for poets whose books are from larger presses. Several times I've had the experience of learning that a poet I know has a new book out—and that it's been out for months or longer. Why didn't I know that sooner? Because the poet never told me or anyone else. That's a big mistake, one that costs the poet a bunch of sales.

My new book, The Uneaten Carrots of Atonement, came out mid-February. Since I believe that if we poets want readers for our work we first need to let them know that it exists, I prepared a simple flier with cover image, one blurb, and Amazon link included. I sent the flier flying off to my email list.

Within a matter of days, the book sold out at Amazon. Good news, right? Should have been and in the past would have been. But for unknown reasons, my listing at Amazon then indicated that the book would ship in 1-4 weeks. Most people don't want to wait up to 4 weeks. I began to get emails from people telling me they'd deferred ordering or would buy the book when they next saw me. I assumed this was a temporary situation. It was. Soon the book was listed as "Temporarily Out of Stock," even worse. I called Amazon repeatedly and was told that books had been ordered and the listing would go to "In Stock" as soon as the order arrived. One Amazon rep even suggested that I tell people to order from B&N! Weeks went by. Finally, the listing went to ships in 2-3 weeks. Better but not great. Then several people told me that they'd actually received the book within a week. Not a bad wait.

I debated whether or not to send a second e-mail flier to let people know that they could now get the book at Amazon. Would that be pesty, overkill, obnoxious? Then I remembered several times when I'd received a second notice from someone else and was thereby reminded that I'd meant to order that book but had forgotten. I went ahead and ordered that person's book.

Also, in the weeks when my book was not listed as "In Stock," it had become available as an e-book. And the print book was being discounted 25% at both Amazon and B&N. So I had new news to include.

I went ahead and sent the second flier. I immediately began to get return emails. Oh no, I feared, this person is going to demand to be removed from my email list. But that didn't happen. Instead, some people thanked me for the reminder and said they'd just ordered the book. Others wrote notes of congratulations—worded in such a way that it was clear they had missed my first notice. One person wrote and requested a review copy.

Lesson learned: People do need and often want reminders.

So let people know your good news. And if you have a good reason for sending a follow-up note, go ahead and do it.

And by the  way, in the second note, I took the Amazon rep's suggestion and included a link to B&N.

Now as of today, my Amazon listing has finally, finally stopped showing the ships in 1-3 note. Progress. This morning it said Order Soon, Only 4 Copies Left, More on the Way. Definitely progress. And the book is now discounted at 28%. But I won't be sending a third note. That would feel obnoxious.

Girl Talk: Some Photos

Last Saturday was the 10th year in a row that I have run an event called Girl Talk: A Poetry Reading  in Celebration of Women's History Month. Each year I invite more than two dozen multi-talented women poets to each read one poem that's related to the lives of women. We fill the room with poets, poetry lovers, and friends. We fill the room with sisterhood and poetry. It's always a joyful afternoon.

Those poets with recent books are invited to put out copies for sale. The library provides volunteers to handle the sales and the money. I ask my readers to volunteer to bring home-baked cookies. (This year I had so many volunteers that I had to ask a few bakers not to bake.) Then following the reading we have a reception with poets and readers invited.

Here are some photos from the afternoon to give you an idea of our day.

Books for Sale

Audience arriving

Christine Waldeyer, Editor-in-Chief of Adanna

Dawn Gunther Bernstein, first-time reader

Deborah Gerrish, poet and contributor of roses

Denise LaNeve, runs the North Jersey Literary Series

Julie Maloney, founder of Women Reading Aloud

Priscilla Orr, editor of The Stillwater Review

Vasiliki Katarou, curates the Panoply Reading Series

Cookies, cookies, and more cookies

Beautiful roses contributed by Deb Gerrish—each poet gets to take one home

Girl Talk: A Reading in Celebration of Women's History Month

This year is the 10th anniversary of this reading. Please join us for an exciting afternoon of terrific poetry. Plus, you won't find better cookies anywhere, so please join us for the Reception following the reading.

Eat Your Carrots

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It's finally here! My new poetry book, The Uneaten Carrots of Atonement, arrived several days ago. I won't bore you with the details, but this was supposed to have been out last summer. Many delays and aggravations, but now all is back on track. I'm very happy with the cover done by artist Brian Rumbolo who also did the covers for my earlier three books. I love how he uses size and color. I hope you'll like the poems inside.

Many people have asked what the title means. To somewhat answer that question and to whet your appetite (I hope), here is the poem from which the book's title is taken:

Original Sin

When Karen told my father I’d pulled off
my rabbit’s tail, he asked, Did you? And I
said, Yes, though in truth it was Karen

who’d grabbed the tail and tugged and tugged
until it came loose in her hand. My father
slapped me hard, then said I’d been cruel,

and asked why I’d done it. I confessed I didn’t
know and took the strap for Karen’s crime.
In the days and weeks that followed, I never

questioned or accused Karen, and she never
acknowledged what she’d done or apologized.
We did not speak of her lie, or mine.

One morning at summer’s end I found my rabbit
dead in her pen. Her sweet body, already stiff,
lay among the uneaten carrots of atonement,

and where the tail had been, a small red circle,
an accusing eye, reminded me of my deception.
I wondered then and wonder still why I took

the blame for hurting the pet I’d loved. I only know
that once Karen said I’d done it and my father
looked at me as if I had, I was guilty,

as guilty as those unbaptized babies
in Purgatory. I must have understood even then
that I’d been born bad and the only reason

I hadn’t yanked off my rabbit’s tail was because
Karen got it first. Some part of me, the part
already destined for Hell, had wanted

that soft talisman that promised luck, wanted it
in my own hand, and wished I’d moved faster.

That poem won the 2012 First Place Prize in the Naugatuck River Review contest, selected by poet Pam Uschuk, a poet I admire. I rarely enter contests; therefore, I rarely win. But it was really nice to win that prize.

So that's one carrot from the book. You should, of course, consume the entire bunch. As everyone knows, carrots are good for your eyes.