“Gerry Grubbs gives us his subtly powerful, personal interpretation of the world in and around us. His work enlightens our insight.” – Ned Stern

“Grubb’s poetry recalls us to the the pleasures of metaphor and the excitement of following the surprising unfoldings of his sinuous verse sentences. One cannot predict where a Grubbs poem will arrive. Each arrival is a discovery.” – Ernest Fontana

“Gerry Grubbs’ first collection of poems is a careful measure of distances, a barometer of inexorable but interminable longing and falling. If “Each star” is indeed “a startling reminder/Of someone else’s discovery,” belatedness is the other word for distances which cannot be closed, the homoeostasis of domesticated happiness (nodded to in Part 2) notwithstanding. Small wonder, then, that a little nacht muzik, the familiar that arrives in the guise of a stranger, shows up late in this book: an “old man…Looking down/At an old photo/ Of a building/Which no longer stands.” He is looking not only at the building but also at the women who once danced in front of the building. This most ordinary of images still has the power to surprise, if not stun, precisely because it is just an ordinary reminder of human desire: “You can still hear him cooing.” That old coot—yes, he dead. But also: he us.” – Tyrone Williams

“Grubbs’ poems expose the gossamer, ephemeral, intangible, and intolerable aspects of existence. Like exquisite delicacies, they melt with the heat of reading.” – Annie Pedret

An Excerpt

Gone

Don’t look for me
When you come
To the mountains
I am not there
In spite of what
My letters said
Those are not my things
Lying around the dark pit
And those little songs
Tied to the trees
With golden thread
Are just fruit
For a certain bird
That no longer hunts
It just sits
In that scraggy tree
And sings

About the Author

Gerry Grubbs has been publishing poems in small press magazines for a number of years. He lives in Cincinnati where he has practiced law since 1989.

Photo of author by Brian Heller

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DOS MADRES PRESS and THE BONBONERIE team up to bring you an evening of poetry, music and delicious food.

Three Local poets with Applachian roots will read their work at: the NEW BonBonerie Cafe 2030 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 7pm – This event is FREE and the public is invited.

Richard Hague is a writer and teacher. His recent collections of poems include Garden (Word Press, 2002), Alive In Hard Country (Bottom Dog Press, 2003, and winner of the 2004 Book Of The Year Award in Poetry from the Appalachian Writers Association) and The Time It Takes Light (Word Press, 2004). He was named Ohio Poet of the Year by the Ohio Poetry Day Association in 1985 for Ripening. (Ohio State University Press.) His collection Milltown Natural: Essays And Stories From A Life was nominated for a National Book Award. His extensive poetry collection/teaching and writing memoir Lives Of The Poem was published by Wind Publications in 2005. He is a member of the Southern Appalachian Writers workshop, Editor Emeritus of Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, an annual anthology of contemporary Appalachian writing. Richard Hague’s performance of his poem “Where Drunk Men Go,” accompanied by Michael Henson’s bluegrass and gospel classics, received the highest critical praise at the recent Cincinnati Fringe Festival.

Pauletta Hansel is the author of two collections of poetry, Divining, published in 2002, and First Person (Dos Madres Press, 2007). Her poetry has also been featured in journals and anthologized in A Gathering at the Forks, Old Wounds, New Words; A Kentucky Christmas; and Listen Here: Women Writing in Appalachia. Born and raised in Kentucky, she has lived in Cincinnati since 1979. She is a student in Queens University’s MFA program and Co-Director of Grailville Retreat and Program Center in Loveland, where she leads Practice of Poetry workshops and retreats for women, and a Third Sunday Poetry Series open to both women and men.

Michael Henson‘s Dos Madres book, The Tao of Longing, first came out in 2005. An expanded second edition is due out later this year. Also expected this year, The Dead Singing, from Finishing Line Press. Previous work includes Crow Call, poems in response to the death of the activist Buddy Gray; Ransack, a novel; and A Small Room with Trouble on My Mind, short stories. His column, “Hammered: Essays on Poverty and Addiction”, appears regularly in StreetVibes. In performance, Michael provides Bluegrass and gospel accompaniment to Richard Hague’s poem “Where Drunk Men Go”. He is a member of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative.

Fine Food & Fine Poetry Combine at the NEW BonBonerie Cafe

The artistry of the BonBonerie is evident as Cincinnati’s Finest pastry shop. Entrepreneuer Sharon Butler has created a honeycomb of delightful spaces where you can sit and enjoy while you are there. The newest area is the BonBonerie Cafe, which fronts on Madison Road.

The Bonbonerie has teamed up with Dos Madres Press to present a series of interesting literary events. The Appalachian Poetry Reading is the second in what we expect to be a series of creative gatherings.

Any day of the week is the perfect time to visit The Cafe for bakery favorites, fresh salads, soups, sandwiches, and quiches. We also serve Afternoon Tea with a reservation. The Cafe can be rented for private parties and events, including children’s teas. We can also cater larger parties at your home or office. Contact The Cafe for more information. (513) 321-3399

The BonBonerie is located at 2030 Madison Road in the O’Bryonville business district.

Directions to the Bonbonerie are avaliable.

George Ella Lyon has published two collections of poems, Mountain and Catalpa, as well as the poetry primer Where I’m From, plus twenty-two picture books, five novels for young readers, an autobiography, a book of stories for adult new readers and a novel. The editor of three anthologies of Appalachian writers, George Ella’s work is featured in the PBS series, “The United States of Poetry.”

Frank X Walker, author, educator and Affrilachian poet, is author of four poetry collections: When Winter Come: the Ascension of York; Black Box; Buffalo Dance: the Journey of York and Affrilachia. He has recently served as Writer in Residence and lecturer of English at Northern Kentucky University and is now teaches creative writing at the University of Kentucky. Frank is the proud editor and publisher of PLUCK!, the new Journal of Affrilachian Art & Culture.

Grailville’s Third Sunday Poetry Series is co-sponsored by Cincinnati Writers Project, Dos Madres Press, Greater Cincinnati Writers League and InkTank.

There is a $15 fee for the 2:00 pm reading. The Poetry Workshop, beginning at 3:30 pm is by donation and is led by Pauletta Hansel. Workshop participants should bring five copies on up to three poems. (So far we have only been able to get to one poem each!)

All programs are at Grailville, 932 O’Bannonville Road, Loveland OH, in the St Brigid building. For information or to register contact visit www.grailville.org or call 513-683-2340. Supported in part by the Tomcinoh Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation and the Fine Arts Fund.