POETRY FROM PARADISE VALLEY

POETRY FROM PARADISE VALLEY
Click Image to Visit the Pecan Grove Press Web Page for Poetry from Paradise Valley

POETRY FROM PARADISE VALLEY web page

Poetry From Paradise Valley

Pecan Grove Press has released an anthology of poems, a sampling of works published in Valparaiso Poetry Review during its first decade, from the original 1999-2000 volume to the 2009-2010 volume.


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, etc.

Readers are encouraged to visit the Poetry from Paradise Valley page at the publisher's web site, where ordering information about the book can be found.

Best Books of Indiana 2011: Finalist. Judges' Citation: "Poetry from Paradise Valley is an excellent anthology that features world-class poetry, including the work of many artists from the Midwest, such as Jared Carter, Annie Finch, David Baker, and Allison Joseph. It’s an eclectic and always interesting collection where poems on similar themes flow into each other. It showcases the highest caliber of U. S. poetry."
—Indiana Center for the Book, Indiana State Library

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn



Billy Strayhorn, one of the unsung heroes of jazz, was born on this date in 1915. Strayhorn worked for decades as an arranger for Duke Ellington, and he composed or co-composed some of Ellington’s most famous pieces, including “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Chelsea Bridge,” “Lotus Blossom,” “Passion Flower,” and “Satin Doll.” Ellington once said, “It’s a wonderful thing, I mean, to bow after a Billy Strahorn orchestration. It’s one of the things I do best.”

Strayhorn, who died in 1967, remained mostly obscured by Ellington’s shadow throughout his life. However, in 1996, with the publication of David Hajdu’s Lush Life, titled after Staryhorn’s magnificent ballad and one of the best jazz biographies ever released, many music lovers discovered the depth of Billy Strayhorn’s contributions to jazz and understood the complexities of the man much more. In Ted Gioia’s fine volume, The History of Jazz, Strayhorn’s lovely works are described as “the closest jazz has ever approached to art song.”

[Readers are also invited to visit a previous post at “One Poet’s Notes” concerning Duke Ellington: “Duke Ellington and Quincy Troupe.”]

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