Poets nancy Simpson and Janice Townley Moore Were Honored at Coffee With the Poets

Nancy Simpson and Janice Townley Moore, were honored at Coffee With the Poets, sponsored by N.C. Writers Network West, March 11, 2009 at Phillips and Lloyd Book Store on the town square in Hayesville, NC. These two poets were recognized for having poems included in the recently released anthology, THE POETS GUIDE TO THE BIRDS, edited by Judith Kitchen and former U.S. Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser, (2009 Anhinga Press, Tallahassee.)

Janice Townley Moore read poems from the anthology, most of them related to sounds of birds, for example, “ Songbird” by John Brehm, which she said was the best poem in the book. Moore also read “Cardinal” by Bruce Bond, and she read her poem, “Teaching the Robins,” which is the title poem of her own chapbook, published at Finishing Line Press, (2005 Gergetown, Kentucky.) The poem, “Teaching the Robins,” gives readers the image of an English teacher attempting to teach students in her classroom, specifically trying to teach them the grief poetry of Emily Dickinson.

Nancy Simpson read several poems from the anthology, including Linda Pastan’s “The Birds,” and Gray Jacobik’s “ Flamingos.” She also read , “Cranes in August,” by Kim Addonizio and she dedicated the crane poem to poet Maren O. Mitchell who is a proficient poet as well as accomplished at making paper cranes. Nancy Simpson also read her poem chosen for the anthology titled, “Carolina Bluebirds.”

The editors of THE POETS GUIDE TO THE BIRDS presented 151 contemporary American poets. Nancy Simpson said, “This is a different kind of field guide. You see a bird but when you look it up in this “poet’s guide”, you will find ten poems listed under Cardinal, thirteen under Crow, only one under Carolina Bluebird, and only one under Nuthatch and so on. Twenty-five poems are listed under Birdsong/Sound.

Editor Ted Kooser expressed the hope that “readers will enjoy this book just half as much as if they’d actually seen all the birds these poems represent.”

Poets attending Coffee With the Poets read their original poems in the open mic reading. Some of those poets celebrating birds were: Karen Holmes, Carole Thompson, Brenda Kay Ledford, Ellen Andrews, Maren O. Mitchell, Ann Cahill, Linda Smith and Glenda Barrett. 

THE POETS GUIDE TO THE BIRDS can be ordered at www.anhinga.org, or www.amazon.com, or at Phillips and lloyd Book Store on the square in Hayesville, N.C.