Tag Archives: Michael Perkins

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

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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

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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

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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

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A Short History of Poetry in Woodstock, 1873—2008

(Published in the Woodstock Times, April 10, 2008) By Michael Perkins Part I The first bard to sing or chant in the shadow of Overlook Mountain was probably a son of the Leni Lenape, the small, gentle people who had … Continue reading

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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

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“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

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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

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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

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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

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