"THE POET'S BOOKSHELF II"

Dear Son,

On Facebook or elsewhere, you've probably come across the the Top Ten Favorite Books survey that's gone viral.  This reminds me of a project I did back in 2008 for the THE POET'S BOOKSHELF edited by Peter Davis and Tom Koontz.  The anthology presents 101 poets listing books that have been important in their art.

In my contribution, I cite the following books--all but one are on the shelves of the library today:

The Bible 

Homer, Odyssey and Iliad 

John Yau, The United States of Jasper Johns  


John Yau, Radiant Silhouette: New & Selected Works 1974-1988 


Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, Pack Rat Sieve, Sphericity, Endocrinology and Four-Year-Old Girl
 

Arthur Sze, Archipelago 

J.J. Pollitt, The Ancient View of Greek Art 

Richard Brautigan, The Hawkline Monster 

The Selected Letters of Richard Kerouac 

Mina Loy, The Lost Lunar Baedeker: Poems, Ed. Roger L. Conover 

Richard Parker, Wine Buyer’s Guide

To see my actual Poet's Bookshelf essay, you can go to my Eileen Verbs Books Blog.

One good thing about posting about this book is that it reminds me that I don't have a copy of Mina Loy's The Lost Lunar Baedeker (I previously read a copy at the local public library).  As a result of this post, I've now purchased it for our library.  Without Mina Loy's inspiration, I might never have written Dredging For Atlantis  (Otoliths, 2006)!

Read widely, son.  I look forward to learning someday your Top Ten Favorite Reads -- based on a multiplicity of reasons...

Love,
Mom