A new book or three

I’m in an energetic, acquisitive phase right now. My learning about and practising the craft of poetry (and writing in general) has been steadily ramping up, and so has my spending! Recently I ordered a flush of books, and excitingly, three arrived together, across two packets.

I’d been planning to get the Contemporary Australian Poetry anthology for some time … it’s published and coedited by my sometime university lecturer and mentor figure David Musgrave. That book is a must-have for any half-serious Australian poet, surely.

Musgrave’s publishing house, Puncher & Wattmann, also happened to publish Tricia Dearborn’s collection The Ringing World.

Tricia came to my notice recently after a friend very kindly and unexpectedly complimented the two of us on Facebook, as poets and as people—even posting a photo of us together. I really have zero recollection of meeting Tricia, nor even of the farewell-to-Sydney party (thirty odd years ago) where we appear to have met and chatted.

Now Tricia Dearborn, while a book editor like myself, turns out to also be the author of two poetry collections—and various other books. She has won several awards and fellowships. How could I be possibly be mentioned in the same breath? Believe me, I was gobsmacked. Pleased as punch, too.

Googling Tricia, I promptly ordered her new release, which sports the intriguing title Autobiochemistry (coming all the way from Perth, it has not arrived yet). But Dearborn’s first collection had such an appealing name that I certainly needed to acquire that, as well. The Ringing World. There must be peerless poems about natural beauty inside. About pealing song. It sounds utterly vibrant; unfailingly positive.

And then, I’d also ordered a book by Annie Proulx. There’s a story there too.

You see, recently here on Wordflower, I set up a tip jar—and asked for tips on becoming a better writer. I’ve set my sights on that more firmly this year.

And in response, one John Malone, of Adelaide Australia, suggested that I read a particular set of short stories. They were all by women writers, and at least one was by a Canadian woman. Which got me thinking.

I really vibe with Canadian women authors. I always have. Margaret Atwood (The Edible Woman) came to mind. And then E Annie Proulx (The Shipping News).

So when John started recommending Proulx stories, I Googled her. Almost immediately, I located another must-have item. A book of stories set in Wyoming, where I also LIVE. Different Wyomings,¹ but still.

Unfortunately—for the purposes of my rhetoric—it turns out that Proulx isn’t quite Canadian. But she has studied there, lives there part-time, and does have French-Canadian ancestry.

I haven’t started reading any of these treasures as yet, but I did peer inside the Proulx. There I discovered the most wonderful paper, creamy and textured. Watermarked.

Are you as interested as I am to know what’s inside these volumes?

1. The stories must surely be set in Wyoming USA, whereas I hail from Wyoming NSW Australia. Book photo by Catherin J Pascal Dunk. Photo of Tricia and Catherin by Amanda Morgan, taken in the 1990s. ↩︎