Lucille Clifton, writ large

From time to time, we highlight the work of Kingston, Washington, based Expedition Press, which creates beautiful letterpress renditions of poetry. While most of Myrna Keliher’s work is on the scale of cards, books, and broadsides, she sometimes ventures into larger prints.

In fact, Publishers Weekly last week featured some of Expedition’s really-big work in “Expedition Press Delivers Poetry on a Grand Scale.” Expedition’s 40-foot-long plywood mural shares Lucille Clifton’s words, “i continue to continue.”

The huge piece was exhibited at the American Booksellers Association Winter Institute in February and will be on display this week at the AWP Conference. Attendees can also find Expedition Press at booth 1341 at the AWP Bookfair.

meanwhile, in Buffalo

In Buffalo, New York, the doors of the Just Buffalo Literary Center are closed. But poetry is still on view thanks to the new Sidewalk Poetry program. Several times a week, new poems are spray chalked (who knew?) on sidewalks around town. The poets all have a connection to Buffalo, including Lucille Clifton, who grew up there and whose “New Bones” appears above. Nice!

Pulitzers tonight

Humanities Washington, Copper Canyon Press, and the Pulitzer Prizes invite you to tune in to a live-stream webcast of Pulitzers in Person: a tribute to the work of the legendary poets W.S. Merwin and Lucille Clifton. The panel features poets Ellen Bass, Maurice Manning, and Camille Rankine in conversation about what makes the work of these two Pulitzer-recognized writers so extraordinary.

The live stream begins at 7:00pm (Pacific) this evening, Thursday, October 6, 2016, here: https://www.therootschannel.com/media/honoring-ws-merwin-lucille-clifton.

This is the first of three Pulitzers in Person events. The series continues November 3 and December 7, 2016.

on poetry

“Poetry is a matter of life, not just a matter of language.”
Lucille Clifton
(b. June 27, 1936)
. . . . .
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