Leaves of Bark

Rostislav Blecha : Kladno, Czech Republic

Rostislav Blecha is a library-poet working at The Central Bohemian Research Library in Kladno, Czech Republic. She published a book of poetry in 2007 called Pìtadvacet (Twenty-five). Below is an example from the manuscript she sent. (Sorry, no translation yet.)

POJĎ SE MNOU ZA NADĚJÍ

Zas nekonečnou bílou plání
vede má dlouhá pouť,
den za dnem za snem kráčím,
za hvězdou, co září v tmách.
S radostí v srdci
jdu za nadějí,
za novým krásným životem.

Snad andělů zpěv mi do uší zní,
snad rolniček cinkotání,
snad je to můj hlas,
který prosí:
Pojď se mnou v dlani dlaň
v ten krásný čas za nadějí,
za hvězdou, co září v tmách,
s radostí v srdci
se mnou zpívej:
Ave Maria...

Jeanette M. Clough : Poet & Librarian

Jeanette M. Clough is a Senior Reference Librarian at the Research Library at the Getty Research Institute, in Los Angeles, CA.

She is also an accomplished poet. A list of her titles can be seen here, including four books of poetry, one book edited, and two artist books. A picture and bibliographic description of one of the lovely artist books, Stone, is here.

She tell us she has also written numerous journal articles.

2 Additional Living Scottish Bards

Staff at the Scottish Poetry Library have sent word of two more living Scottish bards. They are: A.B. Jackson and Richard Price. Jackson was "Born in Glasgow in 1965, and grew up in Bramhall, Cheshire, before moving to Cupar in Fife and attending Bell Baxter High School. He studied English Literature at Edinburgh University, and is currently Senior Information Manager at NHS Education for Scotland.

His first book, Fire Stations, was published by Anvil in 2003 and was awarded the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. A poem, "The Chemical Wedding" is online.

Richard Price was born in 1966 and grew up in Renfrewshire. He was educated at Napier College and the University of Strathclyde, where his doctoral thesis was on the novels and plays of Neil M. Gunn. He is the Head of Modern British Collections at the British Library.

Founder editor (with Raymond Friel) of Southfields and the current magazine Painted, spoken, he is a poet associated with the 1990s grouping of poets the Informationists, including W. N. Herbert, David Kinloch, Peter McCarey and Alan Riach. He is also a member of the London-based Poetry Workshop.

His publications include Marks & Sparks (Akros, 1995), Perfume & petrol fumes (Diehard, 1999), Frosted, melted (Diehard, 2002), and Lucky Day

Lisa Forrest : Buffalo, NY

Lisa A. Forrest is a Senior Assistant Librarian for SUNY College at Buffalo and the founding member of the school's Rooftop Poetry Club. A 2007 and 2008 Pushcart Prize nominee, Lisa's creative writing has been featured in eco-poetics, foursquare, Lake Affect, Yellow Edenwald Field and many other small press publications.  She is the recipient of the national Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRINDI) Award, June 2009 for her radio commentary And So This is Christmas, which aired December 2008 on WBFO, Buffalo’s local NPR station.

Lisa's first collection of poems, To the Eaves (2008), is available from BlazeVox Books, and you can hear an interview with her on the Joe Milford Poetry Show Interview.

With Lisa, that makes two from Buffalo.

Nancy Kuhl : Curator of Poetry for the Yale Collection of American Literature

Nancy Kuhl has my kind of dream job: Curator of Poetry for the Yale Collection of American Literature. 

There is more about her poetry and work at the Phylum Press website, where she is co-founder and co-editor.

Online Projects:

Room 26 Cabinet of Curiosities:
http://brblroom26.wordpress.com/

Poetry at Beinecke Library:
http://beineckepoetry.wordpress.com/

African American Studies at Beinecke Library:
http://beineckejwj.wordpress.com/

Marek Sekyra: Poet-Librarian in The Czech Republic

Marek Sekyra works as librarian in Liberec, Czech Republic.

He has published one book of poetry in 2007 (Modré hodiny – Blue hours) and one bilingual book in cooperation with Mr. Otokar Simm with his translations of German prewar poets from Liberec (Ještědské květy/Jeschkenblumen = The flowers from Ještěd hill).

Brigitte Richter (Letellier): French Library-Poet

Brigitte Richter was born in Charlieu, France, in 1943 and has written several volumes of poetry while serving the French reading public as a librarian. Thanks for this living link goes to Viviana Quiñones, Bibliothèque nationale de France,Département Littérature et Art.

Brigitte RICHTER (LETELLIER) est née en 1943 à Charlieu (Loire)

Très tôt, elle a été attirée par la poésie. Elle a écrit son premier récit à 9 ans. Conteuse, elle fut aussi auteur de romans pour enfants.
Jusqu'à sa mort, survenue en 1991, elle a écrit avec passion, patience et délicatesse, car c'était pour elle une manière de vivre en plénitude et d'être vraie.
Photographe, elle aimait travailler avec des plasticiens. Jean-Claude Desprez, conteur lui aussi, a illustré deux de ses livres.
Elle aimait le bleu profond, détestait les faux-culs et rêvait d'être aimée. Elle collectionnait et restaurait les objets rustiques chargés d'histoire, et savait cuisiner des plats inédits où son talent créateur faisait des merveilles.
Elle a été directrice de la bibliothèque de prêt de la Sarthe puis de la bibliothèque municipale du Mans.
Vous pouvez lire, entre autres :

- Le Jardinier des Bêtes (Corps Puce)
- Paroles des Chemins (Donner à Voir / Corps Puce)
- Oeuvres complètes en 3 volumes :
- Volume 1 (Poésie)
- Volume 2 (Nouvelles et contes)
- Volume 3 : Témoin sans Titre (Journal)
- (Les Amis de B. Richter / Donner à Voir)
- L'Arbre à Chats (Editions de La Queue du Chat)

Bark as a Medium

Of course Bark was the first known medium used to publish what we now call books.

Charles Lummis was a Library-Poet who published books of poetry on bark, as has been documented here.

On my trip to the graves of America's poets I collected a box full of lovely bark that had been shed from a huge tree over the grave of Carl Sandburg. My intention is to publish a book of poetry on the bark...but I have no experience as to how to actually do this!

I intend to get a calligrapher do write the verses out on the bark, but what ink to use, how thin should it be, and what to treat the bark with are some questions I have.

Any advice or links to information would be greatly appreciated!

The Voyage of The Leaves of Bark

Welcome to Leaves of Bark, where we document the nexus between poetry  (the spoken and written word) and librarianship (the keepers of libers, of books, of bark). Both poet and librarian are essentially scribblers on bark.

We have a page for famous Poet Librarians of the Past, and a growing Roll of Honor for both US and International Living Library Poets.

Throughout history some of our greatest poets have been librarians, and some of our best librarians have been poets. Such creators have found inspiration in the brilliant catacombs of library stacks...and maybe you are one?