Carey McHugh interviewed in Open Alphabet

A detail from Cyanotypes of British Algae by Anna Atkins (1843), courtesy of the Public Domain Review

Open Alphabet recently shared a short interview with Carey McHugh which covers everything from the daily writing practice to Robert Frank to rejection in one condensed form.

Open Alphabet: How did you come to poetry? At what point did you know you were a poet?

Carey McHugh: I distinctly remember, at age seven, receiving a rejection letter for a poem I had submitted to Highlights Magazine. This was the beginning of rejection, and so, perhaps the beginning of true poethood.

Head over to their website to read the interview in full and for more conversations with first-book poets.

More of Carey McHugh:

Author page

Purchase American Gramophone through Amazon

PICS: Joe Pan and Carey McHugh’s Launch Party in Review

Last Wednesday, Augury Books hosted a launch party for Joe Pan’s Hiccups and Carey McHugh’s American Gramophone. The turnout at Berl’s Brooklyn Poetry Shop was great, and we are thankful to all who came. As you can see, there was barely any room left to stand!

Debora Kuan and an amazing crowd! Photo: Ian Lloyd

Our first reader of the evening was Debbie Kuan. She shared with us a selection of her poems, telling the story of the pigeons in her building, and her perpetually blue toe. She then introduced Joe Pan, telling us she had been a fan of his since the moment they met, and how she had found out he took his last name from his wife.

Joe Pan reading from Hiccups. Photo: Ian Lloyd

Joe Pan then read to us from his new book Hiccups. He took us with him on his journey around the country and around the world, demonstrating the lighthearted wit of his poems.

Karen Russell reading her essay on beepers and introducing Carey McHugh. Photo: Ian Lloyd

Following Pan was Karen Russell. She read to us from her essay Beeper World, originally published in Harper’s, a funny and poignant look at growing up in Miami in the nineties. She then introduced her dear friend Carey McHugh, saying “Each time Carey McHugh writes a poem, a Dodge in the desert bursts into flame.”

Carey McHugh reading from American Gramophone. Photo: Ian Lloyd

Rounding out the night was Carey McHugh, reading selections from her new book American Gramophone. We shared in her excitement as she saw her book, and we got to hear the story of the hog (not a pig!) gracing the cover, as well as her experience in Greenpoint seeing her own death.

We are very grateful to our readers Debora Kuan, Joe Pan, Karen Russell, and Carey McHugh, and to Berl’s Brooklyn Poetry Shop for hosting the event. And, most importantly, to everyone who made it out to support Joe, Carey, and Augury Books! Our extended thanks, and we look forward to seeing you all at the next one!

Photo: Ian Lloyd

From left to right: Carey Wladis, Kimberly Steele, Mike Miller, cover designer of American Gramophone and Randall Horton’s Hook (forthcoming!), and Kate Angus. Photo: Ian Lloyd

Joe Pan, Debora Kuan, Kate Angus, Carey McHugh, Karen Russell, Kimberly Steele, Nicolas Amara, and Ian Lloyd. Photo: Carey Wladis

Carey McHugh’s Essay on Owls Featured on LitHub

An essay by our forthcoming author Carey McHugh (American Gramophone, 2015) has recently been featured on Literary Hub. The essay, “Aliens Among Us: A Brief History of the Owl,” examines the many cultural views of owls, giving some context to its often mysterious reputation, connecting various points through time and space. Such subjects as The Exorcist, Winnie the Pooh, and The Owl Pages, a heavy influence on McHugh’s most recent book, find connections through her treatment of this creature.

To read the full essay, visit Literary Hub online.

 

 

Join Our Launch Party Next Wednesday, 10/07, at Berl’s Poetry Shop

Come join Augury Books next Wednesday to help us celebrate the launch of our two latest poetry titles: American Gramophone by Carey McHugh, and Hiccups by Joe Pan. Guest readers Karen Russell (Swamplandia!) and Debbie Kuan (Xing) will help us ring in these two new books alongside McHugh and Pan. The launch will take place October 7th at Berl’s Brooklyn Poetry Shop from 7 to 9 PM. Berl’s is located at 126A Front Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Please join us to have a drink, pick up a book, and be generally merry!

For updates and information check out the event’s listing!

Join Us for Oct 7 Book Launch of ‘American Gramophone’ and ‘Hiccups’

We are very happy to announce an October launch party for this year’s poetry titles: American Gramophone by Carey McHugh, and Hiccups by Joe Pan. Guest readers Karen Russell and Debora Kuan will help us ring in these two new books alongside McHugh and Pan. The launch will take place October 7th at Berl’s Brooklyn Poetry Shop from 7 to 9 PM. Berl’s is located at 126A Front Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Please join us to have a drink, pick up a book, and be generally merry!

For updates and more information, please see the event listing.

PICS: Augury Books at the 2015 New York City Poetry Festival

On Saturday, July 25th, Joe Pan (Hiccups, 2015) and Carey McHugh (American Gramophone, 2015) read on behalf of Augury Books at the 5th annual New York City Poetry Festival, put on by the Poetry Society of New York. The festival took place on Governors Island and featured three stages with over 250 poets reading their work. Check out some photos here:

Decorative ravens at the entrance, symbol of the Poetry Society of New York

Carey McHugh

Joe Pan

A great crowd!

Thanks to everyone who came out to support us and the festival, as well as the Poetry Society of New York for hosting.

More on HICCUPS by Joe Pan 

More on AMERICAN GRAMOPHONE by Carey McHugh

Augury Books at the 5th Annual New York City Poetry Festival

The New York City Poetry Festival, put on by the Poetry Society of New York , will celebrate its 5th year on July 25th and 26th, with two full days of readings on three stages at Governors Island. This year’s line up includes Augury’s own Joe Pan  (Hiccups, 2015) and Carey McHugh (American Gramophone, 2015), as well as Nick Flynn, Amanda Smeltz, and Kiki Black, among many others. McHugh and Pan will be reading Saturday, 12 PM at the Algonquin Stage.

Join the festival both Saturday and Sunday between 11 AM to 6 PM, with a Vendor’s Village of booksellers, artists and craft makers, and food truck catering. Admission is free — don’t miss out!

Check out the Festival’s website for a full line up of each day, directions, and any additional info.

 

Augury’s Reading Period Is Open for Prose and Poetry May 1 – July 31, 2015:

Submit now via Submittable, and thank you for your interest in Augury Books!

Book Cover Debut: Carey McHugh’s ‘American Gramophone’

The poems in American Gramophone are menacing—spiked with hazards, threats, warnings and spells—yet the contained lines and composed forms temper the peril with delicacy: a pin curl in the palm, glass shelves full of violets. The collection explores this sharpness and splendor in an agrarian landscape where earth is both burden and livelihood. Here, beneath the music of machinery and birdsong, the trap is set.

Read an excerpt from American Gramophone, and then come back Wednesday for another book cover debut from our upcoming 2015 catalogue. For automatic updates, follow this blog in the right bottom corner.

Find out more about Carey McHugh and American Gramophone. And don’t forget…

Augury’s Reading Period Is Open for Prose and Poetry May 1 – July 31, 2015

Submit now via Submittable, and thank you for your interest in sending your work to Augury Books!

Carey McHugh Featured in Tin House

An image from “The Flowers Personified” by J.J Grandville, courtesy of The Public Domain Review

Poet Carey McHugh was recently published in Tin House’s latest issue. Her poem, “Diagram of Select Cuts,” is featured amongst poets such as Dorothea Lasky, Richard Siken, and Deborah Landau. McHugh will be publishing her new manuscript, American Gramophone, with Augury in the spring.

For more information on Tin House’s latest issue, head over to their site!