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
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About the Author
Will Nixon grew up in the Connecticut suburbs, spent his young adulthood in Hoboken and Manhattan, then moved to a Catskills log cabin in 1996 complete with a wood stove and mice. For years, he wrote environmental journalism, then turned to poetry and personal essays. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and listed in Best American Essays 2004. He now lives in Woodstock, NY with a wall thermostat for heat, but still can't get rid of the mice.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
Tag Archives: Michael Perkins
An Interview with Janice King, by Michael Perkins
(In 2002 Janice King published her first poetry collection, Taking Wing: Poems from the Oregon Outback to the Hudson Valley. Michael Perkins interviewed her for the Woodstock Times.) Book lovers in the mid-Hudson region know Janice King as the smiling, … Continue reading
William Bronk, a Neglected Master, by Michael Perkins
(In 1981, Michael Perkins wrote the following appreciation of William Bronk’s Life Supports: New and Collected Poems, which would win the 1982 American Book Award, later to become the National Book Award. In 1991 Bronk also won a Lannan Literary … Continue reading
A Short History of Poetry in Woodstock, 1873-2008
(Published in the Woodstock Times, April 17, 2008) By Michael Perkins Part II While much of the general population may prefer undergoing root canal work to attending a poetry reading, fortunately for local poets there are people who freely chose … Continue reading
January Poetry Blitz: Michael Perkins
The Double I know he’s out there Pretending to be me— Telling people all my lies, Signing my name to checks Made out to the Devil, Ruining my credit With the righteous; But what am I to do? You can’t … Continue reading
“Walking Woodstock” Reviewed by Leslie Gerber
(This review of Walking Woodstock: Journeys into the Wild Heart of America’s Most Famous Small Town appeared in the Winter 2011/12 issue of Home Planet News. Thanks, Leslie!) Perkins and Nixon, fellow poets, friends, and ardent hikers, have been walking … Continue reading
In Praise of “The View From Jackass Hill” by George Drew
Once upon a time poems told stories about people. Think of Robert Frost’s “The Death of the Hired Man” about a wandering old farmhand “worn out” and “asleep beside the stove” while a farm wife and her reluctant husband debate … Continue reading
Further Thoughts on Memoir in Poetry
(Michel Perkins has told me that every single “I” in his book, Carpe Diem: New and Selected Poems, is a different person. Yet readers, myself included, would assume that Michael is offering his own wisdom under his “I.” He is, … Continue reading
The Muse of Lyric Poetry, by Michael Perkins
The role of the Muse in contemporary lyric poetry is to work her magic in secret. Certainly she is seldom referred to in American writing. In fact, modern critics usually dismiss the notion of Muse poetry as an invalid romantic … Continue reading
In Praise of Howard McCord, by Michael Perkins
(Published in the Woodstock Times, August 14, 2003) If the reward we are looking for when we read the work of living poets is—beyond appreciation or even revelation—the discovery of a kindred spirit, this shock of recognition won’t strike often. … Continue reading →