SLOW TO BURN COVER REVEALED: I'm so excited to finally be able to post an image of the cover of Slow To Burn. The cover will be on very heavy cardstock with the title and my name in red foil. I love how the font for the wording looks like it's turning to ash. Absolutely gorgeous work by MetroMania Press's Tanya Keyser. Simple, elegant and really a work of art. The interior of the book is also on fine paper selected by Tanya. A piece of red vellum with the title etched in black will separate the cover from the title page, where the first 300 copies will be numbered and signed. The book is also an interesting shape...long and narrow. I saw a similar chapbook MetroMania had published last year in Austin and loved how different it looked.Tanya sent me an email today and said the printing will be done in two separate runs. The cover has already gone to the printer and the interior will go next week. I did one final galley proof and actually found a couple of minor things I wanted to change. Slow To Burn will officially be released at the end of April. It will initially be available at the MetroMania website, then at Amazon.com. I will also have copies available during my various readings, which are stacking up quickly. I've been asked to perform the series of Body Map poems (see the November 18 posting) during the National Black Arts Festival in July, which is an honor. I'm also working on a number of other appearances, including Savannah and Columbus. MetroMania Press will have all its authors giving a reading at the Austin International Poetry Festival on Friday, April 21 at a venue to be announced.
In other publication news, I met up with Terminus editors Travis Denton and Katie Chapel on Tuesday to judge one of the Poetry Out Loud recitation competitions and Travis brought along a galley of the new edition, which is out at the end of April. Stunning art, poetry by Thomas Lux, Stephen Dobyns, Denise Duhamel, Cherryl Floyd-Miller and me! Plans are under way for a release party and reading. I'll have more details soon.
Last night, I went over to Georgia State University to hear Delisa Mulkey and Lauren Watel read. They were the winners of Poets & Writers Exchange Program for poetry and fiction, respectively. Both were excellent! Delisa is a pistol and moves easily from raunchy free verse to elegant form. I'm ashamed to say that when Delisa won my reaction was, "who?" She's had work in Poetry and Nimrod, but doesn't have a book out...yet. I'll be waiting on line to pick it up as soon as its published.
I'm also starting to plan Voices Carry 3 for Sept. 11 at the Carter Center and Library here in Atlanta. I've already asked a number of poets, but I'm not ready to announce any names. Needless to say, it will be some of the finest poets working in the city and its environs. Narrowing down the list of poets this year has been more difficult than ever, mainly because we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to talented poets in Atlanta. As Martha would say...it's a good thing.
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