My first collection of poetry, After Much Has Died Down: Collected Poems in Three Parts, is published. The volume contains poems that were in literary magazines, both print and on the internet, from the 1990's until this last year.
The title poem in this volume sets the foreground and timeframe of the other poems - a between time of adult adjustment. The backdrops are often previous events or relationships. Most of these poems attempt an immediate realization through imagery and without back pedaling. Besides the poet experiences, poems include situations of others as a kind of kinship - friends, fellow employees, neighbors, people at eating places, a composer, and even a raccoon. The poems take on the journey to tomorrow.
All but six of the forty-six poems have appeared
in journals, as credited at the front.
Some of the poems have minor revisions from their original publication. It was a nostalgic and enjoyable project, preparing the book for publication. For me, these poems were a colorful diary, remindful of experiences, their interior atmospheres, and the doings of particular months.
The majority of the poems were written in Northern Minnesota,
after a move. I had lived in the Twin Cities area for twelve years. Being near
nature again stunned me at times and inspired poetry that symbolized change,
development, growth, and awareness. I had concentrated on fiction before then.
These are some of the journals that I was so glad to be published in: ArLiJo, Avatar, Cider Press Review, Ginosko, Hamilton Stone Review, I-70, Minnesota Poetry Calendar, The Reader Weekly, Shadowtrain, The South Dakota Review, Stirring, and The Straddler.
The paperback and Kindle of After Much Has Died Down: Collected Poetry in Three Parts are available at Amazon and other outlets.
