Jim Moore, a widely praised poet who divides his time between Minneapolis and Spoleto, Italy, celebrates publication of his new collection, “Enter,” during An Evening With Jim Moore at 7 p.m. Friday at Open Book, 1011 Washington Ave. S., Mpls., presented by the Loft Literary Center and his publisher, Minneapolis-based Graywolf Press. He will be in conversation with Graywolf editor/publisher Carmen Gimenez.
Jim Moore (Courtesy of the author)
Moore, who will be 82 in June and has been writing poetry for more than five decades, was instrumental in bringing together the Minnesota poetry community in the late 1970s.
In “Enter,” Moore roams widely, from California to Italy, from remembering those who have passed on to his own shyness. Some of the poems reference the effects of COVID, so it’s not surprising Graywolf calls this “A collection of thoughtful meditations on hope at a moment when hope seems farfetched…”
Moore, who has won four Minnesota Book Awards, is the author of eight books of poetry, beginning in 1975 with “The New Body.”
Here is the middle portion of his poem “Where I Live Now,” an affectionate look at senior citizens in Spoleto who have seen so much in their lives:
“Twelve bells ring at noon from three churches,
all at once. It is too much sometimes.
They go on, my old people.
They gave up long go,
but they go on.
Swallows and bats, wild asparagus
when the season is right.”
Tickets for An Evening With Jim Moore are $10. For information and pre-registration, go to loft.org/events/evening-jim-moore.
Related Articles
St. Thomas hosting Emily Dickinson readings to celebrate poetry month
10 fiction and nonfiction books inspired by the Vietnam War
Book publishers see surging interest in the US Constitution and print new editions
Kao Kalia Yang makes history at Minnesota Book Awards
Book Review: ‘Hope Dies Last’ visits visionaries fighting global warming
Leave a Reply