CruelestMonth.com

Mark Doty Wins National Book Award

Congratulations to Mark Doty, winner of the 2008 National Book Award in Poetry for his book Fire to Fire. The book includes both new poems and work selected from his seven previous collections. The poet blogs at http://markdoty.blogspot.com/, where he wrote a delightful post on the NBA finalists' group reading-- and will presumably be writing on the experience of winning the high accolade shortly as well. The NBA website features information on and interviews with all of the nominees. http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2008.html

Winner: Mark Doty, Fire to Fire: New and Collected Poems
Frank Bidart, Watching the Spring Festival
Reginald Gibbons, Creatures of a Day
Richard Howard, Without Saying
Patricia Smith, Blood Dazzler

Paul Guest

Some information on the new Paul Guest from our friends at Ecco. The new book (his fourth) has received this dazzling collection of blurbs.

 

Poets Forum

There are a large number of poetry related events going on this weekend in New York through the Poets Forum, featuring poets such as Frank Bidart, Louise Glück, Robert Pinsky, and Gary Snyder, among others. For more information check out http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/380. Tomorrow there are 4 different sessions, each focusing on contemporary poetry. It should be a great chance to see many of our top poets discuss contemporary work.

"Some of the most important poets of our time explore questions central to poetry today. Participants in the four intimate panels will include Frank Bidart, Victor Hernández Cruz, Louise Glück, Lyn Hejinian, Sharon Olds, Ron Padgett, Carl Phillips, Robert Pinsky, Kay Ryan, Gary Snyder, Gerald Stern, Susan Stewart, Ellen Bryant Voigt, C. K. Williams, and moderators Timothy Donnelly, James Longenbach, Maureen N. McLane, and Tree Swenson."