Books live in the mind like honey inside a bee hive,
that ambrosial archive, each volume sealed in craft-made paper,
nutritive cells, stamen-fragrant, snug as apothecary jars.

– Campbell McGrath, the first few lines of his poem, “Books”

Campbell McGrath, author of several collections of poetry, will read on Monday, Sept. 28, 2009, 7:30 p.m. in the Gold Ballroom of WVU’s Mountainlair, Morgantown, W.Va. Free and open to the public. Reception and book signing to follow.

McGrath’s work includes: “Capitalism,” “American Noise,” “Spring Comes to Chicago,” “Road Atlas,” “Mangrovia (chapbook),” “Florida Poems,” “Pax Atomica,” “Heart of Anthracite,” “Seven Notebooks” and “Shannon: A Poem of the Lewis and Clark Expedition” (2009). He has received some of the nation’s most prestigious poetry awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Award.” James Harms calls McGrath “one of the most accomplished poets of his generation.”

Click “audio mp3″ to hear McGrath talk with Grace Cavalieri on her radio show, “The Poet and The Poem.”

Click here to learn more about McGrath.

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A haiku contest featured in The Wall Street Journal?

For Pittsburgh’s G-20 haiku contest, Mary M. Shirey wrote:

Known for friendliness,
We won’t be greeting you,
Thanks to congestion.

Click here to read other G-20 haiku.

Stick around, listen to some audio, read some poems, book notes and bits of poetry news. If this is your first visit to MountainWord, please visit earlier posts.

Send poetry-related news to me, Vic Burkhammer. E-mail and comments are encouraged and appreciated. Announcements for poetry events are also welcome, as are links to poetry sites.

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Poet Mary Lucille DeBerry will be featured Sept. 17, 2009, at the Monongalia Arts Center, 107 High St., Morgantown. W.Va.   The reading is free and open to the public. The event will be in Studio II upstairs.

DeBerry’s poems have appeared in Appalachian Heritage, Hamilton Stone Review (Fall 2008: West Virginia Issue of the online journal), and other journals. Some of her work was published in the 2009 “Anthology of Appalachian Writers” and “Wild Sweet Notes – Fifty Years of West Virginia Poetry.”

DeBerry recently released a poetry book called “Bertha Butcher’s Coat.” Click here for details, including more about a book raffle arranged by Morgantown Poets co-organizer Tamara Woods. Thanks to Ted Webb, of Morgantown Poets, for the news.

Here’s to well-known poet Norman Jordan for sending a great environmental poem…. I quote:

Hey Everybody

I am trying to start a movement to get people to take the caps off of water bottles before throwing them in the trash, so that trapped water can evaporate into the air instead of being buried in trash dumps. I wrote the below poem about it that I wish you would forward to everyone in your email address list.

A Go Green Flash Dream

Uncap
Empty
Watertight jugs
Set free
Entombed
Lingering droplets
Rescue
Clouds from bottles.

— Norman Jordan

I’m rereading W.H. Auden‘s “September 1, 1939,” thinking about the beginning of World War II, the deadliest war in human history. Click here to read the famous poem at poets.org.

Click here to read more »

Recommended:

“Connotation Press: An Online Artifact,” available at connotationpress.com.

Click “audio mp3″ for the Public Radio report about the new literary venture developed by Kenneth Robidoux and friends. Poet James Harms is featured in the first issue.