Poetry Out Loud freebies
I love the book, "The Morgantown Suite Poems", so don't get me wrong. It's a good book, nice cover (better be, I chased Ron Rittenhouse for months to get permission to use the photo I wanted on the cover).
But there is a certain sadness as to how the book became the official sample of my work that will be given to competitors for the West Virginia state finals for Poetry Out Loud next week.
"The Compleat Panther Cycles" is too expensive and massive.
The unholy trinity that I have with iUniverse, "from an unexpected quarter", "love gods of a forgotten religion" and "101 Great Love Poems" I rarely recommend, not because they have nothing to contribute (particularly "love gods..." which I adore) but because I have a thing about my former publisher.
"Invocato" is not easily accessible.
"PanthEon" and "from out of the city" are out of print.
"Ronin in the Temple of Aphrodite" might be over the heads of many high school students...
and "Psalms of the Monster River Cult"? Well, the poem "if your husband comes home" found some furrowed brows, as high school students might be corrupted by hearing of people having sexual relations outside of marriage.
So the winner, by default, is "The Morgantown Suite Poems"...makes me wish "As Such..." was already out...
Next time.
4 comments:
As the author, you know that your work has grown since "Morgantown Suite Poems." However, don't underestimate the compilation, nor its potential to inspire the West Virginians who receive a copy. You just never know.
For example, I knew Michelle Tomasky, Melissa Andes, and many of the people and places you mention or allude to in this book. Absolutely, the "Morgantown Suite Poems" befit the event and may inspire the recipients to PURCHASE your NEXT publication. From a marketing perspective, people are more likely to purchase forward (something new) than backward (something that has been on the market a long while).
Congratulations on your, much deserved, success. Please do all you can to represent West Virginia well and to help build a positive image of mountaineers!
By the way, how did you know Michelle and Melissa? You were a little bit older than they were. You may respond off-line if you prefer.
West Virginia Janis
I agree with your marketing analysis completely...I've seen the figures.
As to Michelle and Melissa...
Melissa and I went to church together, and, yes, I once asked her out in High School (she's one of the figures in my poem "first date blues" (her brother, Robert, figures in the poem, too, in case you need more clue than that as to which one she is)).
Michelle lived one block over from me, growing up, and we hung out a little...not a lot, but some, and her mother was the Creative Writing teacher I wrote about in the "Art & Soul" volume from the Appalachian Education Initiative.
As to West Virginia...let's go Mountaineers! And not just the sports teams...all Mountaineers! West Virginia has a lot to offer the world.
Right now my "Morgantown Suite Poems" is in hiding. I hope to find it soon to reread the poems you reference. Is "Art & Soul" available on line? Mary (Tomasky) is a remarkable woman.
Was your father the William DeValut (in his 70's) who died in Morgantown in mid-February?
WV Janis
No, my father (William Dennis DeVault) is 84 years old and still lives in the same house, with my mother, on Meadowbrook Road, just a block from where the Tomaskys lived. Just down the street from Shorty Anderson's garage. His father, William Francis DeVault (for whom I am named), died in the mid-sixties, having left Monongalia County exactly once in his life, to come to Greenville, South Carolina, when I was born.
Art & Soul is available online at http://www.appalachianeducationinitiative.org
(I know this because I bought a copy just like week to surprise my fiancee with...sshhhh!)
Several of the poems from "The Morgantown Suite" are available at my website, www.cityoflegends.com
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