Want to give an uncommon gift to someone this year? A gift that will last? A gift of meaning? How about a book of poetry?
But which one?
Local is always a good place to start. Hickory has a surprisingly large number of published poets, and you can probably find them to get the book signed, making it even more special and unique.
The most local I can get in my suggestions, of course, is me. Most of my 24 books are still available either from my downtown coffee shop (Taste Full Beans), the publisher (most recent ones from Redhawk), Amazon, or as used books online. My most recent titles include “Elemental,” a collection about nature; “eventually,” an illustrated collection of haiku; “’Round Here,” poems and photos from around Catawba County; “Worlds Enough,” an illustrated collection of poems for children; and “An Augury of Birds,” poems and photos about birds.
Another local poet, and a favorite of mine, is Tim Peeler, also author of 24 books, his most recent being “Trap Game: A Trilogy of Prose Poems.” Peeler is best known for his award-winning books on baseball, including “Wild in the Strike Zone: Baseball Poems,” and “Baseball in Catawba County” (nonfiction). My favorite of his is probably still, “Checking Out,” poems based on his experience as Manager of Mull’s Motel here in Hickory.
Other local poets who have published recent books include
Adrian Rice, “The Chances of Harm”
Arlene Neal, “There Is Always Light”
Beverly Finney, “Cracks in the Dark”
Ken Harbert, “Our Paths in Life”
Maeve Fox, “Letting Go of Me”
Narya Deckard, “Wolfcraft”
and Gray Lee, “Becoming”
Most of these are available from Redhawk Publications, and if not, they can be found with a simple Google search.
Additionally, many local poets were published in Redhawk’s anthology, “Had I a Dove: Appalachian Poets on the Helene Flood,” edited by Hilda Downer.
Moving beyond local authors, it was a big year for poets across the state as well. Some of my favorites include
Pat Riviere-Seel, “Because I Did Not Drown”
Maureen Sherbondy, “The Body Remembers”
Joseph Mills, “The Holiday Cycle”
Catherine Carter, “By Stone and Needle”
and Mark Cox, “Knowing”
Any of these would make wonderful gifts for a reader of poetry, someone interested in the local or state literary scene, or an aspiring poet.
I am often asked what books are essential for a developing poet, and my answer is typically “all of them,” by which I mean to encourage them to read widely and diversely. Sticking just with favorites makes it too easy for a young writer to get comfortable with a certain style or subject matter and prematurely limit the range of their own creativity.
Nevertheless, I am always eager to recommend Galway Kinnell’s “The Book of Nightmares,” which I still consider my favorite book of poems ever. And one couldn’t go wrong with Mary Oliver’s “House of Light” or her “New and Selected Poems” either. For wider variety, I’d recommend an anthology of recent poetry: Al Poulin’s “Contemporary American Poetry” is still one of the best, and “Another Republic” would introduce the reader to a range of European and South American poets. And for even more different styles, look for Ocean Vuong’s “Night Sky with Exit Wounds” or Richard Siken’s “Crush.”
Finally, in regards to books of instruction or creative practice that would make good gifts for the developing writer, the most useful for me have been
“Writing the Natural Way,” by Gabriele Lusser Rico
“Writing Down the Bones,” by Natalie Goldberg
Anything by Annie Dillard
“The Poet’s Companion,” by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux
“A Poetry Handbook,” by Mary Oliver
“The Poetry Home Repair Manual,” by Ted Kooser
So there you have it. As a list of books about poetry that would make good gifts it is hopelessly inadequate and incomplete, but I think it’s a good place to start, and I hope it proves useful to anyone wanting to expand their own or someone else’s enjoyment of poetry.
