Description
A new book of poetry from Joseph Zaccardi, poet laureate of Marin County, (2013-2015).
In his afterword to SONGBIRDS OF THE NINE RIVERS, Joseph Zaccardi recounts how, during his time as a corpsman in the Vietnam War, he found refuge in a volume of ancient Chinese and Vietnamese poetry. This study, now lifelong, has borne fruit in this present volume. At once a scholarly work, an homage, and a striking volume of new poems of the Tang dynasty of China and the Lê dynasty of Vietnam—the ancients at his shoulder—these poems, not translations, not "versions," provide readers with a multifaceted lens, forward, backward, yet always present—always, even in grief, exultant.
“Historical, philosophical, and alchemical these poems reenact the cosmos of the classical poet-ancestors of China and Vietnam through the awakened mind of an American poet and luminary. Joseph Zaccardi's poetry enlarges human empathy and connects separated worlds. Listen to these songs! Every note is clear, fresh, and alive.” ––Jie Tian, author of Native Songs and Migration Songs
Poetry.
Author Bio
Joseph Zaccardi is the author of three books of poetry, Vents (Marin Arts Council, 2005), RENDER (Poetic Matrix Press, 2009), and THE NINE GRADATIONS OF LIGHT (Bark for Me Publications, 2013). His poems have appeared in the Southern Poetry Review, Runes, Poet Lore, Seattle Review, Spillway and elsewhere. He volunteers at convalescent hospitals reading poetry to the residents, and listens to them recite the poems they know by heart. He was appointed poet Laureate of Marin County California in 2013 for a two-year term.
Author City: FAIRFAX, CA USA