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WRITTEN IN ARLINGTON, Katherine E. Young Edits Exciting New Anthology of Poetry

The former Poet Laureate of Arlington, VA, Katherine E. Young, curates this collection of contemporary poetry which shines a light on singular art from outside the big city.

KEYARLINGTON

From the book:

Written in Arlington showcases contemporary poets from and poetry about Arlington, VA. The anthology, edited by Katherine E. Young and published by Paycock Press, contains the work of eighty-seven poets and translators originally written in four languages (Hindi, Russian, Spanish, and English). The poets whose work appears in Written in Arlington range from nationally known page poets to spoken word artists to high school students just beginning to write and perform, as well as a few tourist poets who have written about Arlington while passing through.

The eighty-seven authors in this collection include poets born in Arlington and Arlington transplants from literally all over the world. Sandra Beasley, Andy Fogle, Hailey Leithauser, David McAleavey, Heather McHugh, and Karenne Wood are just some of the poets who have written about Arlington; they join page, performance, and spoken word poets of all ages and backgrounds to compose a portrait in poetry of the community that sits just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC.

Anthology editor and acclaimed translator Katherine E. Young served as the inaugural poet laureate for Arlington, VA (2016-2018); she is the author of Woman Drinking Absinthe (forthcoming 2021) and Day of the Border Guards, 2014 Miller Williams Arkansas Poetry Prize finalist.

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Woman Drinking Absinthe Cover

The poems in Katherine E. Young’s Woman Drinking Absinthe concern themselves with transgressions. Lust, betrayal, guilt, redemption: Young employs fairy tales, opera, Impressionism, Japonisme, Euclidean geometry, Greek tragedy, wine, figs, and a little black magic to weave a tapestry that’s as old as the hills and as fresh as today’s headlines.

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Featured Audio: Rose Solari reads “The Beginning, 1939”

January 29, 2019

In “The Beginning, 1939” Rose Solari’s mastery of recitation is put to the music of her capricious mother and the frantic hopes of her father who wishes to leave “no long, tight pauses for her to fill.” I’ve written before about Rose’s use of swing and rhythmic motifs in her work, elements which are alive in this poem, but what is really mesmerizing to me about “1939” is the musical image toward the end which harbors no pretense of cramming lieder into language, but instead focuses on the very physical act of her mother playing the piano:

Grace with her Hands Cupped

Mikaela Lefrak Examines the Life of Maryland Poet Laureate, Grace Cavalieri

January 25, 2019

The beloved Grace Cavalieri “contains multitudes” according to Mikaela Lefrak in her newest article from WAMU taking a look at the life and career of the 10th Poet Laureate. And Ms. Lefrak treats her subject with the due respect of a life which cannot be covered succinctly in 500 words. She delivers a reverent tourists’ view of Grace Cavalieri’s life, hitting the big things: her poetry and work ethic, the passing of her husband, Kenneth Flynn, her conversion to Buddhism, and finally her new tenure as Poet Laureate.

Listen to Grace Cavalieri on the Kojo Nnamdi Show

January 23, 2019

Grace Cavalieri’s recent stop at NPR’s The Kojo Nnamdi show is now streamable. Over a substantive 22 minutes, listen to Grace talk about poetry, inspiration, and her plans as the 10th Maryland Poet Laureate.