Saturday, June 25, 2011




It took a while to get these four books of poetry together in the same volume. But it's finally done.

The Lady from the Dark Green Hills, Carnegie Mellon University Press
The Mating Reflex, Carnegie Mellon University Press
False Statements, Carnegie Mellon University Press
Ham Operator, Ampersand Press

I started writing poetry at the age of 18, published my first poem (in Antioch Review) at nineteen, and I was 26 when Lady from the Hills was published. I stopped writing poetry at the age of 40 when my first novel was published.

The novels really tapped the same creative wellspring and didn't leave a lot left for poetry. But I learned a lot about writing, about the music of language, about finding the right word for the right place, about imagery and metaphor and nuance from all those years of writing poetry.

Now you can get the whole collected works for a mere 3 bucks.

4 comments:

Nicked Thumb said...

I love (adore!) your poetry and would like very much to know if this collection will ever be available in a book format. I do not, nor care to, own a Kindle as I prefer holding a book in my hands. Please consider printing this collection!

"Maybe Dat's Your Pwoblem Too" is my all-time favorite poem and "White Trash" is a very close second.

james hall said...

Well, Nicked, thanks so much for your kind words about my poems. Wish I could satisfy your need for a book/book, meaning a paper one. But alas, I don't see that happening soon. For one thing, I don't have any control over printing a paperbound version. It would be too costly for me to take on myself and the publisher, so far, hasn't shown interest in doing it. I read some books and magazines on my iPad, which is a great instrument that also doubles as an all purpose computer. Old-fashioned books are very satisfying to hold in my hands, but all in all, the ebook format is very appealing. Anyway, thanks again for your comment. JWH

suburbanbeatnik said...

Hi James-- I finally posted the cover on my deviantArt page (which you can see here). It was a pleasure working with you, and I hope you've found a good frame for the painting! :)

Mike Iula said...

My class just finished reading "Maybe Dat's Your Pwoblem Too". I am not a big fan of poerty but I thought it was a very good poem and it allowed me to see things from a different view point.