I’ll go ahead and say it: Robert Morgan might very well be the best living American poet. He is certainly the best living poet from our region. His work spans decades, and each book plays with different forms, styles, subjects, and characters. From hardscrabble farms to pondering solar terrestrial physics, his work spans the gambit and does so with a poetic clarity few can rival. He published his first book “Zirconia Poems” in 1969. This is one of the 25 hardback copies I’ve only heard rumors of until now. My friend Chan Gordon helped me find some of Morgan’s rarer chapbooks and such, and he always joked that one day he would sell me his Zirconia. Chan would go on to publish a small fine press edition of Morgan’s later book “October Light.” Morgan sent Chan this copy, and it includes the accompanying letter. I’m pleased to add it to the collection, as it will also serve as a reminder of Chan’s longstanding love and promotion of literature from the southern mountains. I’ve included the poems “Hunting” and “Junkyard After Storm” here. Fine book, without a jacket as issued. Numbered 19/25, and signed by Morgan. Association Copy. A new cornerstone of the collection. #robertmorgan #zirconiapoems #lillabuleropress #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CqWksHPsRY0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

We’re super excited! Preorder Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle’s novel, “Even As We Breathe” at CityLightsNC dot com or by calling 828-586-9499. This book will be available August 24th. Let us know if you want your copy/copies autographed or personalized by the author. . . . . #preorder #signedbooks #appalachianlit #debutnovel #cherokeeindian #nativeauthor #appalachianbookshelf #ebci #cherokeenc #booksareessential #readingisselfcare #citylightsnc #bookstore #downtownsylva #northcarolina #sylva #spendlocal #indiebookstore #shopwhereyoulive #readmorebooks #wnc #99centshipping #lovejacksonnc #ncdowntownsstrong (at City Lights Bookstore) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_SDDGmJwRI/?igshid=1bn1zeyxoygi7

Glad to connect with @kincaidjenkins103 and get a chance to read his book “Drinking With Others, Poetry by the Pint.” Another Tennessee writer. Poetry on Suttree and the Ukraine war, pappaws and Pistol Pete Maravich. Stories of the South and traveling abroad. Enjoyed the poems, and his excellent photography adds even further depth. I’ve posted “The Deputy” here as a sample. Check him out if you get a chance. . . . . . . . #kincaidjenkins #drinkingwithothers #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CfDIoZrsig_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Pleased to find an inscribed copy of George Scarbrough’s second book “The Course is Upwards.” Rare to find at all, and when I opened this copy it came with a review slip tucked into the first page. A nice surprise from George Brosi of Appalachian Mountain Books. Scarbrough’s family worked as tenet farmers and workednumerous farms across Polk and Meigs counties, and much of his writings draws at least in part from those experiences and places. Fine/Very Good jacket, with review slip,inscribed: “Play on whatever harp is available. HL David. George.” Poem: “For a Brother Man Leaving Home.” #georgescarbrough #thecourseisupward #forayoungbrotherleavinghome #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CdCTNcYsesA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

So pleased to find this under the tree this year. Rare as a hardback, Jim Wayne Miller’s third full length book is probably his most influential and ends with his famous “Brier Sermon” poem. Miller signed this book to Nancy Carol Joyner, a prominent Southern and Appalachian literary scholar. Former president of SAMLA, she also put together the influential “Bloodroot: Reflections on Place by Appalachian Women Writers.” Pleased to find this association copy, and always glad to add to the Miller collection. I’ve included his poem “Bird in the House” here, a truly fine work and perhaps his best stand alone poem.. . . . . . . #jimwaynemiller #birdinthehouse #themountainshavecomecloser #nancycaroljoyner #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CmvL9zqMHK7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Jeff Daniel Marion is probably best known as a poet and teacher, and many of his students have gone on to their own successful literary careers. I think of writers such as Jesse Graves, Lynn Powell, Susan O’Dell Underwood as coming from his tree of influence. He also maintained long literary friendships with Ted Kooser, Robert Morgan, and Jim Wayne Miller. An interview with Kooser about their long relationship is in the current issue of Appalachian Places. His poems are often trim and almost bare, and his older works are becoming more difficult to find. This early chapbook is signed and limited, number 91/100. There are a few hardback copies somewhere in the world but I’ve not found a way to get my hands on one yet. Still, I’m pleased to find this copy even with a couple flaws, as “Tight Lines” contains some of his wonderful fishing poetry (new word to me: piscatory pastorals). The book also has the first appearance of Marion’s more notable poem entitled “By the Banks of the Holston,” the river upon which his cabin sits. Illustrations by George Chavatel, printed on the Iron Mountain Press. Good condition, obvious sunning to front cover, overall Good+ condition. . . . . . . #jeffdanielmarion #georgechavatel #ironmountainpress #tightlines #onthebanksoftheholston #holstonriver #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CqIfDqTuwRj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I don’t often post newly published works, but this one is worthwhile. Darius Stewart is a Knoxville native and published three chapbooks previously, and now @eastoverpress has collected them into a single volume. Many of these poems describe life in Knoxville intermingled with questions of father/son relationships, the low drumbeat of alcoholism, the struggles of living as a black gay man in the south, and the double edged beauty of family. The poems show a side on Knoxville rarely discussed and do so with surprising sustained power. Glad to have read it and to add another excellent Knoxville voice to my shelves. Stewart currently has work out at @cutleafjournal if anyone is interested. . . . . . . . . . . . #dariusstewart #intimaciesinborrowedlight #eastoverpress #cutleafjournal #knoxville #knoxvilletennessee #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry (at Knoxville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgoryiMO1PF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Looking forward to the George Scarbrough symposium at @reinhardt_university this weekend, as they prepare to open their new archives dedicated to the poet. Hopefully we’ll get to do a bit of trout fishing afterwards too. The lineup of speakers is strong and I am glad to see his work receiving some overdue academic attention. This is something I picked up a while back, the first copy of the Tennessee Poetry Journal. The lineup of writers is pretty impressive, including Ted Wright, Thomas Merton, William Stafford, Julia Randall, George Scarbrough, Frank Steele, Robert Bly, and David Ignatow. Published in the fall of 1967, I’d say it is quite a lineup for a first issue. Poem is “Trompe L’oeil” by Scarbrough. . . . #georgescarbrough #williamstafford #davidignatow #franksteele #juliarandall #thomasmerton #tedwright #robertbly #tennesseepoetryjournal #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #appalachianpoetry (at Reinhardt University) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfJjEXJuR2V/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Perhaps best know for his novel “Deliverance,” James Dickey was also an accomplished and acclaimed poet and even won the National Book Award for “Buckdancer’s Choice.” “The Zodiac” was Dickey’s first published long poem, and is dedicated to Hendrix Marsman who was lost at sea during the Second World War in the North Atlantic. This poem is something of an ekphrastic poem in response to Marsman’s long piece also called “The Zodiac.” Boldly signed with that famous Dickey signature, in the slipcase. Fine/Fine, signed. . . . . #jamesdickey #deliverance #thezodiac #hendrikmarsman #nationalbookaward #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry #southcarolina https://www.instagram.com/p/CeceRXTsMBf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Pleased to receive the Tenth Anniversary Expanded Edition of Jesse Graves’s first book “Tennessee Landscape with Plighted Pine.” I can remember finding a copy of this in a bookstore before I knew much about local, or even regional, literature and it came as a revelation to me that there might be a living poet who talked about the places around me, let alone someone who addressed contemporary concerns. I’ve since had my eyes opened to the huge amount of literature in the region, but seeing “Blighted Pine” in the title came as a surprise to me back then. This expanded edition comes with comments from a host of fine authors, such as Robert Morgan, Rita Sims Quillen, Fred Chappell, Jeff Daniel Marion, and Ron Rash. The edition also has an intro by Matthew Wimberly (@blueridgepoet). Fine new book from @texasreviewpress and I’m looking forward to the 12 new poems. Poem is “Most Distant Antiquity.” . . . . #jessegraves #tennesselansscapewithightedpine #ritasimsquillen #ronrash #robertmorgan #fredchappell #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry #tennessee https://www.instagram.com/p/CdPbMzrsGAD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

If anyone is looking for a quarantine reading suggestion, this would be my pick. Ann Pancake’s novel “Strange as This Weather has Been” is essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary Appalachian fiction, but I also think this is an underrated American classic. Environmental disasters, struggles with religious disunion, the gradual loss of the wilderness, and a family cracking at the seams. Beautifully written, and Uncle Mogey is a figure who sticks with you for a long time. Give it a shot. First edition, paperback as issued, signed. Fine condition. . . . . . #annpancake #strangeasthisweatherhasbeen #shoemakerandhoard #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia https://www.instagram.com/p/B_AISXFJBMo/?igshid=pvsu0hj06ret

Thanks to @blackswanbooks.lex for this wonderful Wendell Berry broadside. It seems like so many of his poems reflect a certain peacefulness, and the title and lines both work to foster a sense of rest. I find myself gravitating towards works like this which express environmental concerns without relying heavily on horror or shame, but instead seem to provide a vision of a hopeful future. Berry is a master, and now I’m tasked with trying to find the wall space for another great piece of ephemera. Hopefully the lady doesn’t mind another frame in the hallway! Published on the Larkspur press, in Like New condition. 1 out of 250. . . . . . . . . #wendellberry #modernfirsteditions #appalachianpoetry #thepeaceofwildthings #poetry #southernpoetry #ephemera #broadside #rarebooks #bookcollecting #kentucky #ky #lexington #lexingtonkentucky #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #southern #pastoralpoetry #bibliophile #shelfie https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs9iSRYAPQY/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=qvv9hrcc1xyk

Glad to find this in the mailbox today. Her first chapbook, Lacy Snapp (@lunaswoodcraft) is a carpenter and poet from Johnson City Tennessee and I’ve found the work intriguing and honest. Her woodworking poems are astounding. Looking forward to a full length collection. I’ve posted the poem Lore here #lacysnapp #shadowsonwood #finishinglinepress #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry #lore https://www.instagram.com/therarebookhunter/p/CXP0y1xM1e-/?utm_medium=tumblr

Getting ready to read this again. I am hard pressed to think of another contemporary book in which the characters live so firmly in modern life while keeping a foot in the past. Grandparents in cabins, children working at the Dairy Queen, overalls standing beside pajamas bottoms and brogans. It is both gathering greens in the woods and 24h news cycles, it is love of place and getting out, bright eyed boys on bicycles and leaking slurry lakes. If you haven’t read this one and are interested in modern mountain literature, this is it. 40 year old broke down miners, and people who still believe in the signs. First edition, signed. Fine, wraps as issued. #annpancake #strangeasthisweatherhasbeen #shoemakerandhoard #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CTlYs_gszuS/?utm_medium=tumblr

Pleased to get a copy of this in the mail. Susan O’Dell Underwood’s poems are dense and usually come with a backdrop of theodicy. Resident of East Tennessee, her poems are clearly rooted in place but also discuss theology and philosophy. Another book off the Iris Press out of Oak Ridge and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far. The Book of Awe, signed first edition. Fine/Fine condition. #thebookofawe #susanodellunderwood #irispress #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CSR0minLVHg/?utm_medium=tumblr