Written by Sharma Shields
“Won’t you celebrate with me / what I have shaped into / a kind of life?”
These famous lines are from Lucille Clifton’s poetry collection The Book of Light, which was first published in 1992 and then reissued in an anniversary edition in 2023 by the venerable Washington State publisher Copper Canyon Press. That some of the world’s best, most quotable poets have seen their words printed by a Port Townsend press is one of the many joys of being part of WA State’s literary community.
Copper Canyon Press was founded in 1972. “Poetry,” their mission statement says, “is vital to language and living.” Their dedication to publishing “extraordinary poetry from around the world to engage the imaginations and intellects of readers,” has culminated in more than 400 titles produced, including works by poetry greatest-of-all-times Octavio Paz, Pablo Neruda, the aforementioned Lucille Clifton, Carolyn Kizer, Ocean Vuong, Jericho Brown, and many more.
I can say from personal experience: Running a small press is a Herculean feat. It takes a broad skill set involving design, editorial, and marketing acumen as well as financial know-how (grant-writing skills, non-profit-managing skills, an active and well-meaning Board of Trustees, start-up funds). Printing is expensive. The book market is saturated. Poetry is not the money-maker genre fiction or nonfiction can be; it’s a testament to the dedication of the craft that poets and poetry presses do what they do. Poetry is not for fame. It is not for wealth. Poetry is for language, itself.
April, yes, is poetry month, and poetry deserves to be sung and celebrated. Poetry is perhaps the swiftest and sharpest knife in the literary cutlery drawer. It can pierce you, it can open you up, with the smallest twist.
As proof, I’ll leave you with this exquisite poem from The Book of Light, followed by a wealth of recently-published poetry titles you can find on our library shelves.
night vision
the girl fits her body in
to the space between the bed
and the wall. she is a stalk,
exhausted. she will do some
thing with this. she will
surround these bones with flesh.
she will cultivate night vision.
she will train her tongue
to lie still in her mouth and listen.
the girl slips into sleep.
her dream is red and raging.
she will remember
to build something human with it.
“night vision” from The Book of Light, copyright 2023 by Lucille Clifton, used by permission of Copper Canyon Press, www.coppercanyonpress.org.
Poetry Reads
Modern Poetry by Dianne Seuss
The Book of Light by Lucille Clifton
Rose Quartz Poems by Sasha taqwšeblu LaPointe
The Poetry Book by contributor Elizabeth Blakemore [and 12 others]
Leaning Toward Light: Poems for Gardens & the Hands That Tend Them edited by Tess Taylor
I Sing the Salmon Home: Poems from Washington State
So To Speak by Terrance Hayes
The Diaspora Sonnets by Oliver de la Paz
Couplets: A Love Story by Maggie Millner
Gay Poems for Red States by Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.
Grand Tour Poems by Elisa Gonzalez
Falling Back in Love with Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom
This is the Honey edited by Kwame Alexander
Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light by Joy Harjo
Cascadia Field Guide edited by Elizabeth Bradfield CMarie Fuhrman and Derek Sheffield
