WMU Home > About WMU > WMU News

WMU News

New Issues press releases six new poetry titles

Nov. 19, 2006

KALAMAZOO--Western Michigan University's New Issues Poetry & Prose is releasing six new poetry collections.

"The Mending Worm," winner of the press' 2005 Green Rose Prize, awarded for a full-length collection of poetry by an established poet, is Joan Houlihan's second collection. Renowned poet Lucie Brock-Broido praises the collection, calling it "a book of stunning accomplishment."

Also released as part of the Green Rose Series is "The Prayers of Others" by Colorado State University-Pueblo professor David Keplinger. That book of prose poems, inspired by the poet's encounter with a contortionist, is the press' second title written by Keplinger.

Four additional titles New Issues will release this fall are poetry collections by James D'Agostino, Alexander Long, Carrie McGath and Wayne Miller.

"Nude with Anything" is D'Agostino's first collection of poetry. WMU English professor Nancy Eimers lauded the poems for "their cathedral-like meditations, their brilliant sentences spiraling like silver necklaces of DNA." D'Agostino, formerly of Kalamazoo, lives in Jackson, Mo.

"Vigil" by Long is the poet/musician's first collection of poetry. Long, who writes, plays and tours with the band Redhead Betty Takeout, offers up in his poems what noted poet Christopher Buckley sees as "an original rhythm and, where appropriate, like a jazz musician, you will hear homage, a riff quoted from a master." Long teaches at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

"Small Murders" is McGath's first collection of poetry. Surrealist artists like Dali and Hans Bellmer make appearances in the strange worlds presented in McGath's poetry. McGath works as a librarian and lives in Kalamazoo, Mich.

"Only The Senses Sleep" by Miller is his first collection of poetry, though he's no stranger to publishing. Co-editor of the literary journal Pleiades, Miller's poems have appeared in numerous publications such as Crazyhorse, Poetry and Quarterly West. He is also the author of the chapbook "What Night Says to the Empty Boat." He teaches at Central Missouri State University.

New Issues Poetry & Prose publications are made possible by support from WMU and grant funding from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

For more information about the press and its titles, call Marianne Swierenga at (269) 387-8185 or visit the press' Web site at www.wmich.edu/newissues.

Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu

WMU News
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
(269) 387-8400
www.wmich.edu/wmu/news