September 2019

CIRCLING RIVERS WELCOMES…

We’re very happy to welcome poet Erin Wilson to Circling Rivers! We will publish Erin’s debut collection At Home With Disquiet in Spring 2020. We discovered Erin’s beautiful work, her poems “A Meal of Meditation Not at the Zhongli Night Market” and “Gentrification,” at Ron Slate | On the Seawall

UPCOMING EVENTS

CR WRITERS

Nina Murray wrote a poem for each letter of the alphabet, using some of the quirkiest words in the English language. Check out her alphabet card poetry collection here || Artists who find themselves far from home often find themselves in the role of cultural diplomats as well. Nina spoke with several of these international artists in a podcast here

Ken Pobo’s recent publications include: “Sandra Calls Us.” Two Thirds North, p 33 (PDF). | “Bible Church Saints.” “Flaming.” The American Journal of Poetry | “Five Haiku.” Summerset Review

Jean Huets recently reviewed Beirut Hellfire Society by Rawi Hage at Ron Slate’s On the Seawall | Aug 9—Fog by Kathryn Scanlan at Ron Slate’s On the Seawall | Tears of the Trufflepig by Fernando A. Flores at Ploughshares | Rites of Spring: Does the Latest in Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet Satisfy? at The Millions || Jean’s presentation, Walt Whitman in Pictures was the warm up act for a stellar procession of scholars, poets, and visual artists at the first Walt Whitman International Conference (WWIC), hosted by Walt Whitman Birthplace in Huntington, Long Island. See FRIENDS OF CIRCLING RIVERS, below, for more WWIC presenters.

North American Review has been posting daily reflections on Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” Contributors include Erica Jong, Nikki Giovanni, Ed Folsom, Roseanne Cash — and Circling Rivers writers Nina Murray and Jean Huets. Nina’s contribution was No. 31, on Whitman in Russian translation here Jean’s was No. 94, a riff in verse on Walt’s verse here

FRIENDS OF CIRCLING RIVERS

H. Paul Moon screened his film “Drum-Taps” at the WWIC conference. One part of a trilogy on Whitman, in “Drum Taps,” Walt’s poetry is spoken by a ghostly Union soldier on the battlefields of Virginia. on youtube || More of Paul’s work, including “Whitman on Film” and “America,” is here

Robert Schultz and Binh Danh described their artistic collaboration at the WWIC. Their book War Memoranda was published by the Taubman Museum of Art “to mark the 200th anniversary of Whitman’s birth and to bring the poet’s humane example to our moment’s controversies over war, memory, and reconciliation.” It includes Civil War era photos literally developed within plant leaves, Walt Whitman’s poetry and prose, and essays by four other writers. More here

Omri Lior screened at the WWIC his ongoing project: videos of poets worldwide introducing and reading one of their poems (with English subtitles when needed) “with the goal to present multicultural voices sharing their history, gender, culture and lifestyles to create tolerance and understandings.” on Vimeo

Lenore Gay and Pam Webber will read at Chop Suey Books, in Richmond, Virgnia, September 21. Lenore will read from her novel Shelter of Leaves; Pam will read from her novel Moon Water. info