Wednesday, June 30, 2021

MARSH HAWK PRESS POETRY PRIZES

Congratulations to the winners of this year's Marsh Hawk Press poetry prizes, as judged by David Lehman. You can see winners and finalists HERE but here are top winners:


The MARSH HAWK PRESS POETRY PRIZE
($1,000.00 Cash Prize and Publication of the Book, along with the Duotrope Prize)

“Rasa” by Joanne Dominique Dwyer
David Lehman writes: The author writes that “Intimacy means profoundly interior — / countless sets of keys and cryptic codes.” The book is intimate in this sense. The author celebrates the power of the imagination to multiply metaphors, as in “Tarzan Audade,” with its striking opening lines (“It’s never a good sign when the patron saint / of betrothed couples is also the saint of the plague.”) and “No Alphabet,” orchestrated by the reiterated “If not” that begins the poem. The poet’s fruitful exchanges with Freud, in such poems as “To Charette with a Man,” “Patron of Embalmers,” and ‘Handsome Is as Handsome Does,” delighted this reader.



The ROBERT CREELEY MEMORIAL AWARD
($250.00 Cash Prize)

“Morning Music” by Lera Auerbach
David Lehman writes: In the title poem and such others as “Beethoven’s Choice” and “The Strings,” the author reveals a deep and heartfelt knowledge of music, which is one source of the manuscript’s unity. Another is the bravely autobiographical dimension in the “Zuihitsu” poems that frame the collection. The poems have a Russian feel, as if they participate in a tradition established by Akhmatova and Mandelstam.



The ROCHELLE RATNER MEMORIAL AWARD
($250.00 Cash Prize)

“Vanished” by Richard Mullen
By my quick count there are 146 eight-line poems here, each complying with the requirements of an ad hoc form. The poems constantly keep one surprised and alert, as when “Thackeray, the author” considers himself “a nocturnal anomaly at his desk” and suddenly, without warning, we face “the field beyond the graves. “The humor is likeable and subtle: ” ‘I believe in science,’ she sobbed into a pillow.”


Monday, June 28, 2021

BURT KIMMELMAN ON THE POETS OF MARSH HAWK'S 2021 SUMMER READING SERIES

Marsh Hawk recently concluded a virtual book launch reading series featuring current Marsh Hawk titles by Jon Curley, Thomas Fink and Maya Mason, Edward Foster, Basil King, Daniel Morris, Gail Newman, Geoffrey O’Brien, Eileen R. Tabios, and Tony Trigilio. Before each reading, Burt Kimmelman presented a much-applauded, insightful introduction to the poets' works. These critical intros are now collected in a summer edition of the Marsh Hawk Review available HERE.

Summer of Emergence Reading Series: New and Recent Marsh Hawk Press Books

Contents

Introduction 

Basil King, Disparate Beasts Part 2 

Geoffrey O’Brien, Where Did Poetry Come From; Daniel Morris, Blue Poles .

Thomas Fink and Maya Mason, A Pageant for Every Addiction 

Jon Curley, Remnant Halo: A Map n’ Dice Chronicle 

Eileen Tabios, The Intervention of the Hay(na)ku: Selected Tercets 

Gail Newman, Blood Memory 

Tony Trigilio, Proof Something Happened 

Edward Foster, A Looking-Glass for Traytors 

ABOUT BURT KIMMELMAN







ACCLAIM FOR TONY TRIGILIIO'S PROOF SOMETHING HAPPENED


Congratulations to Tony Trigilio whose Marsh Hawk book, PROOF SOMETHING HAPPENED, has been receiving wonderful critical response:


A Review by Jerome Sala in Big Other

Here's an excerpt:

"Whether or not humans have actually been captured by beings from outer space, it’s certainly true that our culture industry has abducted aliens. Such tales, which once carried a mystical, 'culty' underground aura, have now been exploited to the max—so much so that when new visions are reported, they don’t carry any more charge than the latest Elvis sighting, or worse, feel like just more clickbait. One of the many virtues of Proof Something Happened is that it captures the original wonder and terror of such tales. More than that, the book encourages empathy and sympathy with Betty and Barney Hill. Rather than ironic winking, you feel what its figures are feeling."
~

A Review by Lily Prater in Call Me [Brackets]

Here's an excerpt:

"If you love science fiction, aliens, conspiracy theories, or want to challenge your beliefs on life outside of our planet, this book is for you. . . . When reading Tony Trigilio’s poetry collection, you will feel the anxieties, mysteries, and unsettling emotions of the Hills."
~

We're also pleased to present Tony's Playlist essay in Largehearted Boy.


Enjoy your reading, and we hope you check out Tony's poetry collection!



KIM SHUCK ON CHAPTER ONE

Kim Shuck discusses inspiration for Marsh Hawk's "Chapter One" project. You can see her thoughts HERE.


For an Index to all Chapter One contributors and contributions, go HERE.


Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Philip Lopate is June's Featured Poet in Marsh Hawk Press' "Chapter One" project that discusses early influences and inspirations in established poets' developments. You can go to his essay HERE.