Award-winning poet Michael T. Young will be reading in NYC and Jersey City this July to promote his new book "The Beautiful Moment of Being Lost," a full-length collection of poetry from the Hoboken-based small literary press Poets Wear Prada.
The book, which will be officially released this fall, had its unofficial launch earlier this year in May at the West Caldwell Poetry Festival. Festival organizer Diane Lockward, Poet Laureate of West Caldwell and the author of the best-selling poetry writer's manual "The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop," invited Young and his publisher Roxanne Hoffman to participate in this year's event which for the first time included a selection of New Jersey independent book publishers as well as many of New Jersey's finest literary journals. Mrs. Lockward and Mr. Young are long-time poetry colleagues and staunch supporters or each other's work. Lockward included one of Young's poems, "Advice from a Bat," among the poetry examples in "The Crafty Poet," and Mr. Young has read at several of Ms. Lockward's events to help promote her new best-selling book.
Mr. Young says he is hoping "The Beautiful Moment of Being Lost" will continue to meet with the same enthusiasm enjoyed at the West Caldwell event where the ten pre-release copies promised to the festival quickly sold out. Fortunately, his publisher Ms. Hoffman had brought along additional copies, so Young was able to re-stock the sales table. The poet, who drove from his home in Jersey City to the festival, actually made his first sale of the day on the steps of the West Caldwell Library while waiting for the doors of the festival to open. By the end of the day, not only had he made several new friends while catching up with old ones, read from his new book to the packed auditorium, and shared experience and insight on the writing process during the afternoon's lively panel discussion moderated by Ms. Lockward, but found he had sold all but two of his available copies.
Mr. Young will be reading with another of the participants of the West Caldwell Poetry Festival this month at two of his three scheduled readings to promote "The Beautiful Moment of Being Lost." The poet Gary
J. Whitehead, whose fifth book, "A Glossary of Chickens," was recently published by Princeton University Press, will be joining Young on July 15th at Jersey City's WORD on Newark Street and on July 28th at New York City's Cornelia Street Café in Greenwich Village.
About Young's new book, Whitehead says "For years, I've savored Michael T. Young's poems for their potent distillations of experience, their attempts to pour into crisp and clear free verse vessels 'something the words can't describe.' In 'The Beautiful Moment of Being Lost,' I am taken, poem after poem, through the musing of a keen intelligence, with 'movement / from character to character, from stop to stop, / in books on trains, in memory.' What's more, these poems, like the character of the title piece, seem to 'come / into life, without intention,' a remarkable skill from a remarkable poet."
Asked about the unusual title of his book, Mr. Young replied that it is simply the title of one of the poems included in the book. The book itself is dedicated to his wife, Chandra, "with whom every moment is a beautiful moment even when we are lost."
Michael T. Young was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. He moved to New York City in 1990. He has published one previous full-length collection of poetry, "Transcriptions of Daylight, " and two chapbooks, "Because the Wind Has Questions," and "Living in the Counterpoint." A fellowship recipient of the New Jersey State Council of the Arts, Young has also won a William Stafford Award and the Chaiffin Poetry award, and was twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Young lives with his wife and children in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Here's the complete listing of Mr. Young's July Readings. A limited number of pre-release copies of "The Beautiful Moment of Being Lost" will be available for sale at each of these events.
Sunday, July 13th, 2014, 4:00PM
(2 drink minimum; open mic)
Featuring with Jess Cording
Parkside Lounge
317 E. Houston (Between Aves. B & C)
Tuesday, July 15th, 2014, 7:30PM
(Free)
Featuring with Cynthia Atkins and Gary
J. Whitehead
WORD
123 Newark Ave.
Jersey City NJ 07302
Monday, July 28th, 2014, 6PM
($8 cover includes one house drink)
Featuring with Gary
J. Whitehead and Peter Marcus
Cornelia Street Café
29 Cornelia Street
New York, NY 10014
For more details about how to purchase "The Beautiful Moment of Being Lost," and for additional events please visit Mr. Young's website at MichaelTYoung.com.
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