Arisa White to Read at James Tate Tribute

Tomorrow evening, Arisa White, whose full-length poetry collection you’re the most beautiful thing that happened is forthcoming from Augury this fall, will read in tribute to poet James Tate at The New School. Several other poets will be reading to honor Tate as well, including John Ashbery, Matthea Harvey, Yusef Komunyakaa, Dorothea Lasky, Charles Wright, and Matthew Zapruder. In addition, David Lehman will be introducing, and music will be provided by Eve Beglarian and Charles Wuorinen, with vocals by Maya Sharpe.

This event is open to the public, and seats are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Find out more about this event on The New School’s website.

PHOTO RECAP: Randall Horton’s Hook Release Event

On Friday, November 20th, Augury joined forces with African Voices Magazine to host a night in celebration of the launch of Randall Horton’s Hook. The event featured many special guests and close friends of Horton, who read from their own work, shared anecdotes, and ultimately all expressed a collective feeling of joy for what Hook has become. Our dear friend Dave Bledsoe is credited with all of these photos.

Julia Judge, Mike Miller, Kimberly Steele, Randall Horton, Kate Angus, Nicolas Amara, Carolyn Butts, and Ian Lloyd.

 

Randall Horton signing copies of Hook.

 

The crowd at African Voices’ Upper West Side space.

 

Nkosi Nkululeko.

 

Tyehimba Jess.

 

Sally Ann Hard.

 

Hettie Jones.

 

Becky Thompson

 

Linda Perez.

 

Randall Horton reading from Hook.

 

 

Randall Horton and Linda Perez.

 

Hook.

Randall Horton’s author page.

Word Up Reading with Joe Pan

On Saturday, November 7th from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm, Word Up Community Bookshop in Washington Heights will host a reading of seven city poets. Among the featured poets is Joe Pan, whose poetry collection Hiccups we published this past October.

Word Up describes itself as a “multilingual, general-interest community bookstore and arts space … committed to preserving and building a neighborhood in which all residents help each other to live better informed and more expressive lives, using books as an instrument of reciprocal education and exchange, empowering not only themselves, but their community.” Word Up is run by volunteers and hosts literary readings, film screenings, concerts, community meetings, workshops, and reading groups with the goal of bolstering the creative community in upper Manhattan.

See the reading’s Facebook event to learn more about Pan, the bookstore, and the six other featured poets.

Hiccups is available through Small Press Distribution online.

More of Joe Pan:

Joe Pan’s website

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

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

Upcoming Readings by ‘Hook’ Author Randall Horton

Photo: Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Augury is excited to announce some upcoming readings from Randall Horton, author of Hook, forthcoming from Augury Books in 2015.

 

June 12th, 6-8pm: 

CUNY School of Professional Studies

Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education, Urban and Labor Studies

25 West 43rd Street, New York, NY.

 

June 13th, 1pm:

Worker Writers Summer School on Governor’s Island

Building #20A in Nolan Park.

 

June 16th, 8pm:

Over the Eight

594 Union Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

 

In addition to these readings, Horton will be reading with Meg Kearney and Anne-Marie Oomen on Saturday, July 11 at 7:30 pm. This will include readings from Hook: A Memoir, as well as his poetry collection Pitch Dark Anarchy. Readings will be held in the Founder’s Room of Pine Manor College, 400 Heath Street, Chestnut Hill, and are free and open to the public.

Check out an excerpt from Hook on our blog.

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Augury Books’ spring/summer 2015 reading period is now open for submissions in poetry and prose. For guidelines and general information, please visit our submissions page.

Please Support the 5th Annual New York City Poetry Festival

Albert Robida’s Leaving the Opera in the Year 2000 (1902), courtesy of the Public Domain Review

The New York City Poetry Festival, now approaching its 5th year running, has become an important and much anticipated event for the poetry community of NYC. Hosted by The Poetry Society of New York, the festival gathers over 200 poets on Governor’s Island for readings and other poetry-related matters.

The festival is normally free for all who attend, including the vendors, poetry organizations, and general public. This is only possible due to the generous donations received from those who can afford to give them.

Unfortunately, there have been significantly less donations this year. And if the fundraising goal of $12,000 isn’t met by May 21st, this could result in the festival being notably scaled back. We therefore encourage all who are able to donate to do so. Please tell your friends and family as well.

To contribute to the the 5th annual New York City Poetry Festival, go to their Kickstarter.

You can also help spread the word through HeadTalker by allowing them to post to your Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr on your behalf.

Parachute Literary Arts To Hold Poetry Reading on Coney Island’s Wonder Wheel

From Owen Jones’ Examples of Chinese Ornament (1867), courtesy of the Public Domain Review

Parachute Literary Arts, an organization that celebrates the poetry community of Brooklyn, is hosting Poem-a-Rama on May 8th. The first poetry reading to ever take place on Coney Island’s Wonder Wheel, the event will feature over fourteen poets from New York City. While riding the wheel, they will read their works related to NYC, and more specifically, to Coney Island. The reading will serve as a benefit for Parachute Literary Arts’ writing workshops and for poetry libraries in the area.

Among the writers participating in Poem-a-Rama are Amber Atiya, Patricia Spear Jones, Ian Dreiblatt, Jen Fitzgerald, and Michael Broder. There will also be a performance by Soozee Hwang & The Relastics.

For the complete list of readers, visit Parachute Literary Arts’ website.

Tickets for the event can be purchased here.

CLMP Firecracker Reading, Featuring Finalist Halina Duraj’s ‘The Family Cannon’

Space Colony Art from the 1970s, courtesy of the Public Domain Review

The Council of Literary Magazines and Presses  (CLMP) is holding a reading this Sunday afternoon, featuring the finalists for their new Firecracker Awards, including Halina Duraj for The Family Cannon (Augury Books, 2014).

The reading will take place from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.,  during the 16th Annual Lit Mag Fair at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe. Other finalists and publishers include, Bonnie Friedman (Etruscan Press), Vikas K. Menon and Dan Goldman (Rattapallax), Jesse Lonergan (NBM Publishing), Hubert & Kerascoet (NBM Publishing), Eric Hobbs and Noel Tuazon (NBM Publishing).

Winners of the Firecracker Award will be announced on May 27th at powerHouse Arena in DUMBO, Brooklyn.

Join Augury Books at Housing Works on Sunday as editor Kate Angus reads from The Family Cannon.

More on THE FAMILY CANNON