A few words from the editor:
The editor’s favorite among these books is Collected Poems — the verses belong in their native environment. As Stephens said in the Note to In Plain Air, “what counts for me in any collection is less the individual poem than the individual life, finding its way somehow, anyhow, directly and otherwise, into the whole work.” The original books are set out here in reverse chronological order, for the most part. I think that sequence offers the most interesting view of the work as a whole. The page layout by Valerie Brewster, of Scribe Typography, is superb.
Despite Stephens’s preference for the mixed bag, his poems stand on their own, of course. Some of the best are gathered in Selected Poems, along with a few that never found their way into a book but deserve, and reward, attention. The arrangement is chronological (mostly). The type is a little larger and each poem has its own page, for better readability. The Scribe book design, again, is marvelous.
Then there are the sonnets in Running at Hendry’s, in a separate volume even though all are in Collected Poems and many in Selected Poems. I couldn’t resist giving these deftly crafted verses their own book. Composed extemporaneously after running on the beach, they make up a journal of sorts. Again, the type is larger and the poems have lots of space. Anyone who likes to think while running or walking, or who loves the beach in winter or at sunset, will find much to appreciate here.
The covers feature images by Tom Stephens. A nephew of the poet, Tom lives in Greeley and teaches in the School of Art & Design at the University of Northern Colorado.
The contents of all three books can be viewed on the Home page, and pdfs can be downloaded from there. Readers are more important than sales. The books are the real deal, though. The paperbacks are very good, and we have a limited quantity of excellent hardcovers, made by Haagen Typecraft of Santa Barbara.
A.A.S.