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John Montague, 1929–2016
It is with great sadness that Wake Forest University Press has learned of John Montague’s death. We have been honored to be his publisher these many years. We will miss his poetry, his humor, and his humanity.
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “Tonight of Yesterday” by Vona Groarke
Tonight of Yesterday for Eve The evening slips you into it, has kept a place for you and those wildwood limbs that have already settled on the morning. The words you have for it are flyblown now as the dandelion you’ll whistle tomorrow into a lighter air. But, tonight, your sleep will be as…
Continue ReadingHoliday Sale: 40% off
Once again, we’re offering 40% off through the holiday season. To take advantage of the sale, order through our website (or call us at 336-758-5448), and enter the code “WFUP40” when you check out. The sale applies to books, broadsides, and t-shirts. Be sure to order by December 15 to guarantee the books reach your doorstep in time for Christmas.
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “How to Live” by Derek Mahon
Don’t waste your time, Leuconoé, living in fear and hope
of the imprevisable future; forget the horoscope.
An interview with Harry Clifton: Returning to Portobello “was like rebuilding an identity from the ground up”
Harry Clifton has lived in places throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia, but his newest volume, Portobello Sonnets, focuses back on the district in Dublin where he currently lives, having returned after sixteen years in continental Europe. In this interview, he talks about how his work has evolved over time and place, and what ultimately brought him home. WFU Press:…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: Sonnet 33 by Harry Clifton
Water is there to be looked at, not looked into —
Stay on the surface, where the dragonflies mate,
The girls return your glance, and the weather is great,
Poem of the Week: “The Reading Fever” by Medbh McGuckian
Medbh McGuckian’s latest volume, Blaris Moor, was released this week in the US. The volume’s title refers to a traditional ballad that memorializes the trial and execution in 1797 of four militia men condemned by the authorities as members of the United Irishmen. McGuckian’s subjects may be set in the past, but the themes of moral balance in…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “Autobiography” by Louis MacNeice
Samhain is upon us, so we’re celebrating by sharing poems with a sinister bent in honor of this Celtic predecessor of Halloween. In this week’s poem, Louis MacNeice explores the darker side of youthful memory. MacNeice reflects on the early loss of his mother, a loss which remains as a sort of specter for the child in the poem, one…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “Endymion” by Thomas Kinsella
As we get ready to celebrate Halloween, let’s take a moment to think about where the most frightful holiday of the year comes from—Samhain (pronounced SOW-in). Samhain is a traditional Celtic celebration to remind people that the year is about to get darker, and that harvest season is over: Winter is here! It’s also a…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “Photograph” by Frank Ormsby
On October 13, Frank Ormsby visited Wake Forest University to read from his latest collection, Goat’s Milk, as well as new work from forthcoming volumes. Today, we’ve included a clip of Ormsby reading this week’s poem, “Photograph.” Check back next week for more video from the evening. During the reading, Ormsby framed his Catholic upbringing in…
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