Round-up of Judas Goat excitements
Hi! I just made a new website. Didn’t want to lose some of the blog material from the previous one, so I thought I’d do a little round-up here, if only to abet my own memory.
Publishing a book is bizarre. Like any other major life event one experiences for the first time, there’s no way to fully prepare. Mostly I was shocked by the heightened, nearly debilitating self-consciousness I felt, the discomfort of receiving both kindnesses and (thankfully, much less frequently) unkindnesses about my work. At times I was overjoyed by what some might think of as very small things, like finding out Judas Goat was chosen as a staff pick at a bookstore, or getting tagged in a photo of someone reading the book in a city I’d never visited, or finding out someone was studying the book for a class. Any hands the book finds its way into still feels like something of a miracle. I think most poets can relate to that feeling. We’re told all the time that no one reads poetry, that poetry doesn’t sell, and relatively speaking, this is fairly true (for reasons that have little to do with the appetite, or potential appetite, people actually have for poetry, but that’s a topic for another time). Basically, in Judas Goat’s publication year, it found more readers and garnered more attention than I expected, and I remain deeply grateful to anyone who teaches it, recommends it, or shares photos of it out in the world. Poetry books are often slow burns with long lives, so while the fervor of my so-called book tour might be over, I look forward to whatever doors it may continue to open. If you have played any role at all in celebrating or supporting the book, thank you.
A few highlights from Judas Goat’s publication year
Guest on Between the Covers with David Naimon
Reviewed by Stephanie Burt in the New York Times
Finalist for the Washington State Book Award
