Thursday, January 14, 2010
Poetry reading by Robin Ekiss, The Mansion of Happiness (University of Georgia Press, November 2009), and Cheryl Dumesnil, In Praise of Falling (University of Pittsburgh Press, July 2009), Mrs. Dalloway’s Literary & Garden Arts, 2904 College Avenue, Berkeley, 7:30 (510-704-8222, www.mrsdalloways.com)
The Mansion of Happiness was a finalist for many nationally recognized book prizes, including the Walt Whitman Award and National Poetry Series.”These darkly beautiful poems are unswerving in their search for a place where the inner and outer world edit one another. Robin Ekiss writes with force and elegance. The content is always there; the craft is never sacrificed. The combination makes this book a superb debut.” –Eavan Boland
In Praise of Falling won Dumesnil the 2008 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize, awarded by University of Pittsburgh Press. “In Praise of Falling is, indeed a book of praise, one that celebrates the world’s gifts with an awareness of its dangers. In the title poem, Dumesnil finds beauty even in ‘that inedible nut, the green globe turning.’ Falling, yes, but still aloft–that’s where the poet captures these keenly observed narratives.” –Kim Addonizio