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Dybek returns to poetry with 'Streets in Their Own Ink'

July 13, 2005

KALAMAZOO--Stuart Dybek, professor of English at Western Michigan University, recently published his second collection of poetry, "Streets in Their Own Ink."

Better known for short fiction, Dybek is also a widely published poet, and several poems in this recent collection have previously appeared in a number of journals and anthologies. First reviews for the new collection are positive.

The poetry in "Streets in Their Own Ink" is "thoughtful," "carefully constructed," "complex" and "coherent," according to Kate Washington of the San Francisco Chronicle. She compares "Streets" to Dybek's acclaimed 2003 novel "I Sailed with Magellan."

"Streets," she says, "is a strong successor to 'I Sailed with Magellan,' distilling many of its narrative themes into rich, sharply observed lyrics." Dybek's new collection has also received praise from a number of other journals, including Ploughshares, Publishers Weekly and Poetry.

A WMU faculty member since 1973, Dybek teaches creative writing at the University and has served as a permanent faculty member for the Prague Summer Writers Seminars since 1997. His most-recent work of fiction, "I Sailed With Magellan" received critical acclaim and was named to the highly selective Notable Books List of the American Library Association for 2005. During his career, Dybek has received numerous other honors, among which are multiple O. Henry Prizes, a Lannan Award, a PEN/Malamud Award and a number of fellowships and grants. He is also one of only a few writers to have works included in both the Best American Fiction and Best American Poetry anthologies.

Dybek is also the author of two short fiction works, "Childhood and Other Neighborhoods" and "The Coast of Chicago," which was the sixth selection of the award-winning One Book, One Chicago citywide reading program. In addition, he is the author of "The Story of Mist," a chapbook, and "Brass Knuckles," his first collection of poetry. His work is frequently anthologized and appears regularly in magazines such as Harper's, The New Yorker, Atlantic, Poetry, Tin House, Ploughshares and Triquarterly.

"Streets in Their Own Ink" has a list price of $20 and is available through all major bookstores.

Related story
Dybek's 'Magellan' makes ALA's Notable Books List

Media contact: Benjamin Myers, 269 387-8400, ben.myers@wmich.edu

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