LFL extraordinaire

We’ve written before about the Little Free Library program. Here’s an LFL that’s really turning heads.

When Sharalee Armitage Howard “had to remove a huge tree that was over 110 years old” in front of her Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, home, she “decided to turn it into a little free library (which I’ve always wanted).” Beautifully crafted and complete with exterior and interior lighting and dentil molding in the shape of little books, her Little Free Library is open for browsing.

On her Facebook page, Howard explains that “this tree won’t look amazing until Spring when I can plant groundcover and cheerful perennials around it, touch up the paint, and fine-tune the trimwork,” but we think it looks pretty swell right now. Learn more and watch the video.

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book birthing

Norman L Green and Threshold Documents have supported the poetry community in immeasurable ways, including, among many other things, co-editing and printing Clover: A Literary Rag, and the annual chapbooks and anthologies for the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest.

Norman has midwifed innumerable books, and on Wednesday, January 9, 2019, he will be the guest speaker at the monthly dinner meeting of Whatcom Writers & Publishers at Nicki’s Bella Marina in Bellingham. Show him some love. The details are here. RSVPs are required.

and yes, round five…

Just when you think everyone has weighed in on the best books of 2018…

• The Atlantic – includes two poetry titles in its list of The 19 Best Books of 2018
• Autostraddle – 50 of the Best Feminist Books of 2018 includes six poetry titles
• BuzzFeed News – 10 Poets On Their Favorite Poetry Collections Of 2018
• Dennis Cooper – Mine for yours: My favorite fiction, poetry, non-fiction, film, art, and internet of 2018, includes 16 poetry titles
• The Independent (UK) – 14 best poetry books (published in October to mark National Poetry Day)
• Rob McLennan offers his list of twenty-four Canadian poetry titles worth repeating, at Dusie.

Happy New Year!

round four…

The year’s favorites just keep stacking up:

• The Academy of American Poets – the most popular poem in 2018
• Bustle – 15 Poetry Collections From 2018 You Won’t Want To Miss
• The Irish Times – The best poetry books of 2018
• PBS News Hour – 12 gifts of poetry for everyone on your list
• Vulture – 9 Books of Poems That Prove 2018 Was a Fantastic Year — at Least for Poetry

round three

And yet more year’s-best-poetry lists:

• Chicago Review of Books – The 10 Best Poetry Books of 2018
• Chicago Tribune – Poet Michael Robbins offers picks for best poetry collections of 2018
• Library Journal – Best Books 2018 (presented as a slide show, including 10 poetry titles)
• The National Council of Teachers of English – Children’s Book and Poetry Awards
• The New York Times – The Best Poetry of 2018
• The Spinoff (New Zealand) – Official proclamation: The 20 best poetry books of 2018

speaking of poetry libraries

The Poetry Foundation Library in Chicago is the Midwest’s only library dedicated to poetry. Visitors to the library may browse a collection of 30,000 volumes, experience audio and video recordings in private listening booths, and view exhibits of poetry-related materials. The library is open weekdays 11:00am–4:00pm (check website for holiday closures).

PEN America Literary Awards longlist

PEN America has announced the longlists for the 2019 PEN America Literary Awards, including 10 semi-finalists for the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation (judged by Sinan Antoon, Ewa Chrusciel, Peter Filkins, Katrine Øgaard Jensen).

The finalists for all book awards will be announced in January 2019. The winners will be celebrated at the 2019 PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony on February 26 at the NYU Skirball Center in NYC.

Founded in 1922, PEN America is the largest of the more than 100 centers worldwide that make up the PEN International network. PEN America works to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to convey information and ideas, to express their views, and to access the views, ideas, and literatures of others.