Leaves of Bark

Steven Riel : Poet-Librarian at Harvard

A few months ago I posted a short note about Steven Riel. Now through the gravepine he has heard of Leaves of Bark and has send us all more information.

Steven has a website at www.stevenriel.com, where we have linked to one of his poems, "Deathwatch".

Steven has an MFA in Poetry and works at Harvard University in the Harvard College Library.  Here's the link to his work directory listing: http://hcl.harvard.edu/technicalservices/about/staff.directory.html

Nearing 50 Living Library Poets

In less than two months the Leaves of Bark blog has identified almost 50 living library poets around the world: 28 in the US, and 14 from various nations., including Namibia, Scotland, France, England, the Czech Republic, and Canada.

Thanks to everyone who has sent poems and biographical information. Keep on spreading the word and remember, we have a Contemporary Library Poetry page to highlight the poems of library-poets if you want to send us a sample or two.

Library Poets : Send Your Poems & Links

If you are a living library poet we are now accepting poems or links to poems so that you can share your work with colleages around the globe. Send up to 3 poems, either the work itself or a link online to it, and we will include the poems on our Library Poetry of Today page. (Send to barkingbards {at} deadpoes [dot} org)

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

Celia White : Poetic Light

If you shuffle over to Buffalo you might discover Celia White, a poet and librarian. After many chapbooks came out, her book Letter was published in 2007 by Ambient Press. She has an occasionally updated blog, called Warm Wine, at http://celiathepoet.blogspot.com/ and a Flickr photograph collection.

Looks like she makes a wicked good pizza.

*In Maine, the term wicked good means something really, really good or cool. I have heard it said that the phrase comes from a certain part of England, from whence settlers first came to the Maine coast.

Jeff Beam : Award-Winning Carolinian P/L

Librarian and Poet Jeff Beam, from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, has posted a long, valuable list of the many books of poetry that he has had published. If you follow the link and see all the awards he has won, one wonders (how's that for alliteration?) just when he has time for library work!

In 2009 his poem, "Song of the University Worker", was designated the official staff poem of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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)

Colin Will: Science Librarian & Living Scottish Poet

Thanks goes out to Janice McFarlane for sending this link, at the amazing Scottish Poetry Library, to Scottish poet-librarian, Colin Will.  McFarlane, the Head of Partnerships & Professional Adviser at the National Library of Scotland, tells us that Mr. Will was formerly the librarian of the Royal Botanic Gardens, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

From his website Mr. Will writes:

My library career started with West Lothian Libraries in 1963. I got my ALA in 1967, then did an Open University degree in Maths and Science (with a Distinction in Geology and Geochemistry), before moving to the British Geological Survey Library in 1973. I moved to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 1988. I received a PhD from the University of Strathclyde in 1991, for research on the communication process in science. I served two terms on the Scottish Library and Information Council, and in 2000 I was President of the Scottish Library Association (now CILIPS).

He also "is" Calder Wood Press, which publishes books, chapbooks, poetry cards.

You can read his old and new poetry at his website. On the Scottish Poetry Library he reveals his "Old Favourite":

'The New American Poetry, 1945-1960, edited by Donald M Allen (Grove Press, 1960). I bought my copy of this book in 1961 from Edinburgh 's Paperback bookshop, the one run by Jim Haynes, arts activist and co-founder of the Traverse Theatre. The shop had a stuffed rhinoceros head mounted above the door, and I loved it. At that time I was just starting to write, and it was a bit of a lightning bolt to discover, after the earnestness and, I'd have to say, stuffiness, of conventional British poetry, people like Gary Snyder, Edward Dorn, Brother Antoninus (William Everson), Robert Creeley, Gregory Corso, the Beats, and many others.

They communicated with me, and since then the poem as an act of communication has been the cornerstone of my own writing. It's why I love Norman MacCaig's poetry too, although I also have a personal connection with him, as he taught at my old primary school (Craiglockhart), and I can hear his voice as I read his work. It's also why I dislike poetry which deliberately sets out to obscure meaning and hide emotion. Poetry should wear its heart on its sleeve.'

Bravo, Mr Will, the esteemed Poet-Librarian of Scotland!

Marcus Clarke, Australian Novelist, Librarian & Poet

The Australian Dictionary of Biography has some information on MARCUS ANDREW HISLOP CLARKE, (1846-1881).

Google Books has the Australian Version of the Selected Works of Marcus Clarke available. Clarke was known as a Novelist, and it does not seem at first glance that he wrote much poetry, but he is identified as a poet in some sources, so we shan't play the role of literary critics, and shall enter his name on these esteemed rolls!

Anne Spencer: Poet, Librarian, Gardener

Not only was Anne Spencer a very accomplished African-American poet and activist, she was also, you guessed it, a librarian! A visit to her historic house, garden, and grave, in Lynchburg, VA, is well worth the effort.

From a Lynchburg Ledger article: “Take what you have and make what you want,” said Dr. Richard Bolling, of Virginia Seminary and College to Anne Spencer.  Anne Spencer’s life as a poet, mother, wife, librarian at the segregated Dunbar High School, gardener, and woman exemplified the advice from her teacher.  Her poetry, often “scribblings” found on any available surface including walls of her home and loose scraps of paper, were written for herself rather than a public audience.

Spencer now has a Facebook page (I thought it was a joke till I looked it up. I guess that is all the rage now, even for the dead: get a Facebook page!)

Raúl Rivero - Cuba (exiled)

From PEN American Center:

Raúl Rivero was freed on November 30, 2004 after having been transferred from prison to a military hospital in the capital, Havana, for medical tests. PEN welcomes the news, but calls upon the Cuban authorities to make his release unconditional. PEN also urges the authorities to free the journalists and librarians who remain behind bars in Cuba. 

Rivero, who opened an independent library in his house before his arrest, has since been exiled to Spain. Words Without Borders has some of his translated poems.