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

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Poem in BEASTLY: "Having a Coke with You" by Frank O'Hara



I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world . . .
Frank O’Hara, “Having a Coke with You”

Occasionally, references to poems or poets infiltrate the more popular media of television and film, creating a brief surge in interest among the general population, including many who would not normally turn to poetry as their regular reading genre. For most, the temporary increased interest in the work or literary figure spotlighted on screen does not translate into a continuing devotion to poetry. However, any greater awareness of poetry established in some movie viewers only serves to assist in an overall addition of appreciation for poetry.

In many cases, a traditional poem might be featured in a film, perhaps a sonnet by William Shakespeare or an elegy by W.H. Auden. But book sales and reputations of more modern poets sometimes benefit from placement of their poetry as an element in a movie. Obviously, biographical films about poets—John Keats, Sylvia Plath, or Allen Ginsberg, for example—command more attention and engender new readership. Nevertheless, even a single recitation of a poem or mention of a collection of poems within a plot can initiate interest.

Recently, poetry by Frank O’Hara has been the recipient of such publicity in popular media. His book of poems, Meditations in an Emergency, appeared prominently in the second season of a hit television series, Mad Men, and in Beastly—a new film offering a contemporary version of Beauty and the Beast and premiering this past weekend—O’Hara’s poem, “Having a Coke With You,” plays a central role.

As reported when first introducing this poem at One Poets Note’s in 2008, critic and poet David Lehman regards the presence of O’Hara’s poetry, as exemplified in “Having a Coke with You,” to be “so dazzling, with taste so fine and sensibility so rare and appealing, that it comes as a surprise to investigate and realize that there are depths of meaning in his offhanded poems that seem as disarmingly immediate and perishable as telephone calls.”

Readers are invited to revisit the text of “Having a Coke with You,” accompanied by a 1966 video of Frank O’Hara reading his poem.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I am watching the movie Beastly. They have this poem in it. I liked it very much. thanks hgr.