Books
Walking Woodstock
Journeys into the Wild Heart of America’s Most Famous Small Town
by Michael Perkins
and Will Nixon
Illustrated by Carol Zaloom #1 Paperback Bestseller of 2009, Golden Notebook, Woodstock, NY
The Pocket Guide to Woodstock
An Insiders' Guide with Suggested Hikes, a Walking Tour of the Historic Village, Maps, Photographs, and the Best Tips for a Memorable Visit
by Michael Perkins
and Will Nixon
Illustrated by Carol Zaloom #1 Paperback Bestseller of 2012, Golden Notebook, Woodstock, NYBooks
Books
Poetry
Poetry
Poetry
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Quotes
“Are you familiar with the writing of Woodstock poet Will Nixon? If not, you should be because of his funny, wistful, poignant poems.”
-- Catskill Mountain Region Guide“The Hudson Valley has produced some of the great peregrinations of our time, most notably by John Burroughs, an inveterate walker. Add Michael Perkins and Will Nixon to the list—these are charming essays, some of them with a bit more bite than you'd guess.”
-- Bill McKibben
Monthly Archives: July 2011
Bobbi Katz’s “Encounters With a Mitzvah Machine.”
(In May Bobbi Katz gave an enchanting reading at Cafe Mezzaluna of this memoir. In recent years she has published many children’s poetry books—Nothing But a Dog, The Monsterologist: A Memoir in Rhyme, Once Around the Sun, Trailblazers: Poems of … Continue reading
Saul’s Gifts, Part Two
(The July/August 2011 issue of The Country and Abroad has published my earlier reminiscence about my late friend and mentor, Saul Bennett. There’s one more piece to the story…) Saul’s Gift, Part Two I dreamed I stood outside my death … Continue reading
Michael Perkins Praises the Unabomber Manifesto
(In blogging about David Kaczynski’s fine poetry book, A Dream Named You, I admitted to a dark fascination with his brother’s terrible crimes, but dismissed The Unabomber Manifesto as “turgid, dogmatic, hostile, and pretty quickly unreadable.” Lo and behold, my … Continue reading
The Goat Hill Poets
Once I was a Goat Hill Poet. On the first Sunday morning of the month I drove up the sweeping curves of Goat Hill Road, then turned into the driveway for the slalom course of puddled potholes to Leslie Gerber’s … Continue reading
Matthew J. Spireng’s “What Focus Is”
Years ago, the answering machine message was an art form in itself, an opportunity to be witty, creative, the star of your own little ten second show. My all-time best? “We ain’t got time for no fancy message rhyme. So … Continue reading
The Rap Version of “My Late Mother as a Ruffed Grouse.”
What converted me, a middle aged white guy with the jangling guitars of 1980s indie rock forever stuck in my ears, into a dabbling hip hop fan? Step one. A compelling review in Bookforum by Kevin Young, an excellent poet, … Continue reading
Susan Deer Cloud wins a NYFA
My friend, the big hearted Susan Deer Cloud, has just won a New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) grant, sending a much needed $7,000 her way. Though she lives in Binghamton, she returns often in her poetry to her … Continue reading
Visiting Wheeler Hill
In late June I drove more than four hours due west through the Catskills and across the southern tier of western New York to visit Michael and Carolyn Czarnecki of FootHills Publishing at their unpainted house in the back corner … Continue reading
From Children’s Forts to Writers’ Cabins
Every poet should write an ode to forts. Here’s mine: Defending the Fort In the dryer my wet sneakers thump like dinosaur heartbeats. My model glue dries in my Messerschmidt. Upstairs, my mother’s feet walk on kitchen linoleum that sounds … Continue reading →