poetry books and more poetry books

More new titles, plus a couple of catch-up recommendations, for your spring reading list:

• Academy of American Poets – A Poetry Reading List for National Poetry Month 2022 (belatedly)
• Anchorage Daily News – 3 new Alaska-connected poetry collections draw on the natural world to reveal human lives
• Book Riot – Quiz: Which AAPI Poetry Collection Should I Read Right Now?
• The Guardian – The best recent poetry – review roundup
• The New York Public Library – Celebrate National Poetry Month with Our Favorite Poetry Books of 2021 (belatedly)
• read poetry – Poetry Releases That Will Supercharge Your Spring Reading

reading live and streaming

Recent-past Washington State Poet Laureate Claudia Castro Luna has a new book of poems (her fourth), Cipota Under the Moon, about love, light, and children’s resilience in the face of war. She will be reading from its pages next Thursday, May 19, 2022, at 7:00pm. Co-presented by The Seattle Public Library and Elliott Bay Book Company, the event will be held in person at the Seattle Central Library and will also be live-streamed. Joining Claudia will be poet Leticia Hernández-Linares. The event is free, with registration.

Joined by Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest and other special guests, Claudia Castro Luna will also read from her new book in a special event hosted by Floating Bridge Press. Presented on Friday, June 3, 2022, at 7:00pm, the in-person event will be held at the Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery in Seattle. Seating is very limited. To attend this free event, RSVP to editor [AT] floatingbridgepress.org.

And finally (for now), head over to YouTube to watch Claudia’s KING 5 interview with Amity Addrisi on New Day NW.

Pulitzer!

The 2022 Pulitzer Prizes were announced this week and Diane Seuss is the winner in poetry for her much-lauded book, frank: sonnets (Graywolf Press), “a virtuosic collection that inventively expands the sonnet form to confront the messy contradictions of contemporary America, including the beauty and the difficulty of working-class life in the Rust Belt.”

We congratulate Diane Seuss, and the two finalists in poetry, Will Alexander for Refractive Africa: Ballet of the Forgotten (New Directions) and Mai Der Vang for Yellow Rain (Graywolf Press), and to Graywolf Press for claiming two spots among the top three.

See the complete list of 2022 Pulitzer Prizes.

more poetry books!

There are plenty of new poetry books for your reading list:

• Book Authority – 15 Best New Poetry Books To Read In 2022
• CBC – 15 poetry books shortlisted for 2022 ReLit Awards
• Electric Lit – 7 Feminist Poetry Collections About Gender and Identity
• The Fortnightly Review – Poetry Notes: Nine in early 2022.
• The Latinx Project – ‘La Treintena’ 2022: 30+ Books of Latinx Poetry
• Ms. – Poetry for the Rest of Us 2022
• School Library Journal – 2022 Notable Books: NCTE’s 21 Best Poetry and Verse Novels for Kids
• The Times – Notable new poetry books of 2022

tomorrow evening in Anacortes

Oh, how we’ve missed these live, in-person gatherings and oh, how happy we are to see them emerging once again.

Tomorrow, Friday, April 29, 2022, at 7:00pm, Empty Bowl presents a reading by Jessica Gigot and Gary Thompson with musical accompaniment by Erik Christensen at Pelican Bay Books in Anacortes.

Open open!

Great news! Open Books: A Poem Emporium has completed their move is now open for browsing, Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 5:00pm, at the corner of First and Cherry in Seattle’s Pioneer Square.

In addition to a superb collection of over 10,000 poetry titles, classes, and swag, the store now offers monthly membership in The Parlor for those who seek “a clean, beautiful workspace in Seattle, away from the clutter and distractions of home, for writing, reading, thinking, or co-working.”

Friday evening poetry

You are invited to join Harbour Publishing, Lorna Crozier, and friends for a reading of the final poetry collection of Patrick Lane, this evening, Friday, April 22, 2022, at 5:00pm Pacific.

Publisher Howard White will host readings from Patrick Lane’s posthumous collection, The Quiet in Me, compiled and edited by Lorna Crozier. Joining Lorna in reading are Esi Edugyan, Rhonda Ganz, Michael Lane, Richard Lane, and Steven Price.

The online event is free. Register here.

more to read

It’s still National Poetry Month and the new titles and recommendations are blooming:

• American Booksellers Association – Celebrate National Poetry Month with These Titles
  https://www.bookweb.org/news/celebrate-national-poetry-month-these-titles-1627828
• Book Riot – 20 Must-Read Queer Poetry Collections
• My Edmonds News – Edmonds Booktalk: Collections to enjoy during Poetry Month 2022
• The New York Times – Newly Published Poetry, From Gaza to Zoom Rooms and More
• Paste – Celebrate National Poetry Month (and the Oral Tradition) with These 6 Audiobooks
• Shondaland – The New and Forthcoming Collections to Read for National Poetry Month

at the local library

Nice to see POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest, The First Five Years on display in such good company at the Bellingham Public Library for National Poetry Month. Edited by Nancy Canyon and Anita K. Boyle, and designed and illustrated by Nancy Canyon, the 152-page collection includes the full text of all winning poems from 2006 through 2010. Copies are still circulating in the Whatcom County Library system and at Western Washington University.

A second five-year collection was published in 2015 and chapbooks of winning poems have been published annually since then. The 2022 chapbook will be available at the time of the awards ceremony, Thursday, May 19, 2022.

poetry from Canada

The League of Canadian Poets has just posted the 2022 Book Awards longlists. There are three awards: the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award award recognizes a first book of poetry published by a Canadian writer in the preceding year; the Pat Lowther Memorial Award recognizes a book of poetry published by a Canadian woman in the preceding year; and the Raymond Souster Award recognizes a book of poetry by a League member published in the preceding year. See the complete list of titles here.