Rick Mulkey: "Connecting the Dots"

The Poem of the Week is Rick Mulkey’s “Connecting the Dots,” which appeared in the Fall/Winter 2002-2003 issue (Volume IV, Number 1) of Valparaiso Poetry Review.

Word Press has just published Rick Mulkey’s second book of poetry, Toward Any Darkness. Pecan Grove Press released his previous full-length collection, Before the Age of Reason, in 1998. He also has authored two chapbooks—Bluefield Breakdown (Finishing Line Press, 2005) and Greatest Hits: 1994-2003 (Pudding House Press, 2004). In addition, Mulkey’s work has appeared in various literary journals, such as Connecticut Review, Denver Quarterly, The Literary Review, Poetry East, and Shenandoah, as well as several anthologies, including American Poetry: The Next Generation, and Poems and Sources. He directs the creative writing program at Converse College in Spartanburg, SC.

Tuesday of each week “One Poet’s Notes” highlights an exceptional work by a poet selected from the archives of Valparaiso Poetry Review with the recommendation that readers revisit it. Please check the sidebar to view the list of poets and works that have been past “Poem of the Week” selections. Additionally, readers are reminded that VPR pages are best read with the browser font preference in which they were set, 12 pt. Times New Roman, in order to guarantee the stanza alignment and the breaks of longer lines are preserved.