This week, I decided to spotlight a local New Orleans poet, Brad Richard, who I met at the Tennessee Williams Festival. His new poetry collection, Motion Studies, published in January 2011, won him the 2010 Washington Prize from The Word Works by impressing the judges with its blend of personal and historical. He read from this collection at the panel I attended at the festival, and he was absolutely fantastic.

Brad Richard is a local New Orleans poet and the chair of the Creative Writing program at Lusher Charter High School. He is also co-director of the New Orleans New Writers Literary Festival, which is a festival for high school writers. He has published one other book of poems, Habitations (2000), and a limited edition chapbook, The Men in the Dark (2004). His work has appeared in journals such as American Letters and Commentary, Bayou, Literary Imagination, The Massachusetts Review, New Orleans Review, Bayou, and others.

Richard won the Poets & Writers, Inc. Writers Exchange competition in 2002, and he is the recipient of fellowships from the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the Surdna Foundation. Matthew Dickman said about Richard, “Here is a poet of exacting lyricism and refreshing voice. Mr. Richard is a healer.”

Richard’s voice is kind and compelling, powerful and vivid. Nicole Cooley says, “Whether writing from the perspective of Thomas Eakins or describing his father’s art studio in the flooded ruins of New Orleans, Richard unflinchingly observes the world. This is a book about vision, about what it truly means to see.”

You may purchase Motion Studies and Richard’s other works at any local bookstore. My favorites are Octavia Books and the Garden District Bookshop.

Selected Works:

Motion Studies (2011)

Habitations (2000)

The Men in the Dark (2004 – Limited Edition)

My first spotlight poet is Elizabeth Bishop, who is my personal favorite poet and, in my opinion, one of the best technical poets to ever live.

Elizabeth Bishop was born in Worcester, MA on February 8, 1911. Her mother was mentally ill, and her father passed away when she was about one year old, so she was raised by her maternal grandparents in Nova Scotia, Canada. During her childhood years, she received very little formal education, but she was an avid reader. She attended boarding school and Vassar College, where she founded a literary magazine. While she was an undergraduate, she published her first poems, which attracted the attention of poet Marianne Moore, who became Bishop’s mentor and dear friend.

Bishop was independently wealthy and traveled extensively, visiting Europe, Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, North Africa, Ireland, and Italy before finally settling in Key West, FL for four years. She became a reputable poet, and her poetry was heavily inspired by her travels. She was mostly known for her focus on commonplace objects and occurrences, and her work carries strong emotions, sharp wit, and vivid imagery. Bishop’s poetry concentrates on her impressions of the physical world, unlike other poets during her time who tended to write in the “confessional” style, with explicit accounts of their personal lives.

Bishop published sparingly, releasing only approximately 100 poems in her collection, but her poetry was technically brilliant and reflected her moral sense, and her works established her as a major force in literature. Bishop received the Pulitzer Prize in 1956 and the National Book Award in 1970, and she was awarded the Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets in 1964.

Bishop died on October 6, 1979 in Cambridge, MA, but her popular works continue to perpetuate her legacy today.

Selected Poems:

I Am in Need of Music (Sonnet, 1928)

Sonnet (1979)

Love Lies Sleeping

Lullaby for the Cat

The Fish

One Art

In lieu of a Friday Flash story this week, I would like to celebrate National Poetry Month! My Cheshire smile is bright today, and Wonderland is all a flurry with preparations for parties to celebrate poetry!

The Academy of American Poets started National Poetry Month in 1996 to increase visibility for poetry, encourage increased publication and sales of poetry books, and increase philanthropic donations for poets and poetry. Here are a few things you can do to join us to celebrate!

Poem in Your Pocket Day: Carry a poem in your pocket on April 14. All of us in Wonderland will have them! Share them with your friends!

Guest Poets on Twitter: Throughout each day in April, a guest poet will have 24 hours to post their insights and thoughts on the Twitter feed for the Academy of American Poets. Guest tweeters include: 4/9 – Jennifer L. Knox, 4/10 – Randall Mann, and 4/11 – CAConrad. Check out the full list here.

Also, be sure to follow the Twitter feed to see all of the guest poets: http://twitter.com/poetsorg

Poem-A-Day: Sign up on Poetry.org for a daily dose of new poems! http://www.poets.org/poemADay.php

Get a Free Poster: Hurry, before they run out! This year, the poster features my favorite poet, Elizabeth Bishop! http://www.poets.org/posterRequest.php

Subscribe to Poets.org: Subscribe to the RSS feed or the daily newsletter for poets.org. It’s free!

Donate to the Academy of American Poets: Send a donation to support poets and poetry.

Here is a link to 30 more ways you can celebrate National Poetry Month with us!

Here is the official link to Poetry.org’s National Poetry Month page.

Check back throughout the month for Poet Spotlights!

Wonderland is all a flurry with preparations for National Poetry Month this month! We are putting up lovely decorations in blue and white to match the poster, and the Mad Hatter has even made a matching hat! We are very excited about celebrating poetry, and we would love for you to join us! My Cheshire smile is VERY large, from ear to ear!

National Poetry Month was started back in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets to increase visibility for poetry, encourage increased publication and sales of poetry books, and increase philanthropic donations for poets and poetry. Here are a few things you can do to join us to celebrate!

Poem in Your Pocket Day:   Carry a poem in your pocket on April 29. All of us in Wonderland  will have them! We will also be sharing our favorite poems here in Wonderland on that day, which is a Friday.

Poem-A-Day:  Sign up on Poetry.org for a daily dose of new poems! http://www.poets.org/poemADay.php

Spring Book List:  Check out the list of new poetry books coming out this Spring, and buy one! http://www.poets.org/npmbooks.php

Get a Free Poster:  Hurry, before they run out! http://www.poets.org/posterRequest.php

Subscribe to Poets.org:  Subscribe to the RSS feed or the daily newsletter for poets.org. It’s free! http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/22

Donate to the Academy of American Poets:  Send a donation to support poets and poetry. http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/4

Here is also a link to 30 more ways that you can celebrate National Poetry Month with us! http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/94

Here is the official link to Poetry.org’s National Poetry Month page:  http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41

And finally, in the spirit of National Poetry Month, I would like to share three of my most favorite poems:

• Dreams by Langston Hughes
• The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
• One Art by Elizabeth Bishop

See the poems at http://www.cheshirescribe.com/poems

Happy National Poetry Month Everyone!!