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

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Review of SEEDED LIGHT

Yesterday, I received in my mailbox the Spring 2010 issue of Tipton Poetry Journal, and I am pleased to report this new issue contains a review of Seeded Light. Reading the appraisal, I enjoyed the focus of the commentary offered about the book by reviewer J.L. Kato, who opened his remarks by following a perspective suggested by the volume’s title and epigraph: “The title comes from Pablo Neruda, who described how the stars appear across a field of night. Each point of light is a poem, a cosmic glimmer signaling it is ripe for the reader to harvest.” Indeed, Kato even observes how “each poem is written in lyrical couplets, the layout resembling furrows in a farmer’s field.”

I was delighted to find Kato connecting the book’s title to recurring images within the collection, and I appreciated the extended metaphor carried through the commentary that relates to growth and harvest, particularly the way Kato detects details within the poems that “reinforce the image” evoked by the book’s title or epigraph. I am grateful when such intended links placed in the poetry from piece to piece are recognized and their significance realized by readers.

Furthermore, I was happy to notice how Kato’s comments reflect an emphasis I place on engaging readers with universal themes seen through an attempted use of ordinary language made elegant or eloquent in a lyrical manner. Kato remarks that the poems “meditate on such themes as personal vision, travel observations, the nature of poetry, and, of course, death.” He then declares: “What makes Byrne’s poems memorable is his control of plain language that serves as a guiding light.”

I am honored by any attention given to my poetry by readers or reviewers, but I am especially satisfied when the messages and means of communication are apprehended as designed during the course of composition.

The Spring 2010 issue (Number 17) of Tipton Poetry Journal is available for ordering at the publication’s web page. This new issue also includes reviews of collections by Shaindel Beers and Jessie Carty, as well as poetry by Miranda Bradley, Holly Burnside, Helen Marie Casey, Kevin Marshall Chopson, Katie Clare, Joan Colby, Curtis L. Crisler, George Fish, J. Bruce Fuller, John D. Groppe, Will Greenway, Talia M Hane-Devore, Colleen S. Harris, Ruth Holzer, Adam Hughes, Patrick Kanouse, Helga Kidder, Stephanie Knipper, Norbert Krapf, Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, David W. Landrum, W.F. Lantry, Micah Ling, Rocco Lungariello, Doris Lynch, Angie Macri, Lily Iona MacKenzie, Jayne Marek, Corey Mesler, Joey Minutillo, Rafael Miguel Montes, James Murdock, Thomas O'Dore, James Owens, Rhonda C. Poynter, Bruc Pratt, Stephen R. Roberts, Mary Sexson, R Jay Slais, Jacob Thomas, and Tim Tomlinson.

Posted by at

1 comment:

Maureen said...

I have been reading "Seeded Light" since its arrival in the mail last week. Kato nails it beautifully.

April 22, 2010 at 8:44 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)