Mezzo Cammin, again--

New poems--"The Fool and the Owl" from The Book of the Red King manuscript, "Self-portrait as Meadow," and "Hurdler, Age 12"--are up at Kim Bridgford's wonderful Mezzo Cammin.

South by South

Rash, Cash, and me: here. Nancy Pate is the former books editor of the Orlando Sentinel.

Box Elder on Camellia Orphanage

Lucy Kempton of Box Elder on A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage:  "It is a stunning book; both cruel and tender, dark and light, but always shot through and stitched with a powerful beauty. Poetry, character and narrative never get in each other's way, but create a compelling fusion. The rich period detail from the lives of the rail-riding hobos to the coloured print of a woman's dress is riveting, not merely research tacked-on for authenticity, as it can seem to be, but real and known and tangible. Beyond a nodding acquaintance, I'm not steeped in the literature of the American south and of the Depression era, so my mind doesn't reach for parallels and comparisons, which I'm rather glad of, reading the novel for what I think it is, something fresh and remarkable." For more, go here.

Home

North Carolina touring done, and I am at last home after a long drive. On Saturday I had a grand time reading a chapter from A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage at McIntyre's in Fearrington, answering questions, and even reading a few requested poems. Afterward had lunch with writer friend Marjorie Hudson (Accidental Birds of the Carolinas - PEN Hemingway Honorable Mention) and some of her students. And I spent Sunday night in Roanoke with longtime friend, painter Mary Boxley Bullington. Good night!