Charles Baxter

M. L. Liebler

Michael Delp

Bob Seger's House and Other Stories

Conrad Hilberry

Herbert Scott

As David Wagoner wrote in the earlier volume, The Third Coast, "A Michigan poet may be undistinguishable from an Illinois poet or an Arizona poet (except for subject matter), but the publication of this anthology serves to underline one layer of regional cultural strength, even though these are not 'regional poets:" Over a decade later, Contemporary Michigan Poetry is testimony that Michigan poetry continues to flourish. Preserving the mood and texture of Michigan in the 1980s, this new collection includes the best recent work by the state's most accomplished poets. Among the fifty-three contributors are Charles Baxter, Alice Fulton, Jim Harrison, Janet Kaufmann, Josie Kearns, Thomas Lynch, John R. Reed, and Stephen Tudor. Each of the editors is also a contributor to this sampling of poems. Styles range from understated to extravagant, from closely observed to freely imagined. Poems are as varied as the Michigan landscape. Remarkable in its scope and quality, Contemporary Michigan Poetry offers an arresting look at Michigan life and a special glimpse at the preoccupations that possess residents on the Third Coast.

Poems from the Third Coast

Contemporary Michigan Poetry

Bob Seger’s House and Other Stories is a collection of short stories written by some of Michigan’s most well-known fiction writers. This collection of twenty-two short stories serves as a celebration not only of the tenth anniversary of the Made in Michigan Writers Series in 2016 but also of the rich history of writing and storytelling in the region. As series editors Michael Delp and M. L. Liebler state in their preface, “The stories contained in this anthology are a way to stay connected to each other. Think of them as messages sent from all over the map, stitching readers and writers together through stories that continue to honor the ancient art of the fire tale, the hunting epic, and all of the ways language feeds the blood of imagination.” The scope of this project reflects the dynamic and diverse writing that is currently taking place by people who consider their home to be the Great Lakes state. Stories are far-ranging, from the streets of Detroit and the iconic presence of the auto industry to the wild tracts of the Upper Peninsula, to a couple on the west coast trying to figure out parenting. The book vibrates with that tension, of metal versus rock and human frailty taking on the pitfalls and hardships of living in this world. In his foreword, Charles Baxter asks, “Does a region give rise to a particular kind of literature? Michigan is so fiercely diverse in its landscapes, its economy, and its population demographics that it presents anybody who wants to write about it with a kind of blank slate. You can’t summarize the state easily.” These storytellers exude a “Michigan aesthetic” in their writing, something that cannot be learned in a textbook or taught in a classroom but can be felt through the tales of these storytellers. The experience of picking up this collection is akin to taking a drive from the mechanized world and arriving several hours later in one of the wildest places on earth. Readers of short fiction will enjoy the multitude of voices in this anthology.

Lying in the River’s Dark Bed: The Confluence of the Deadman and the Mad Angler by Michael Delp is a collection of fifty-six poems that brings together two characters Delp has been perfecting for years: Deadman and the Mad Angler. The Deadman, a spirit that constantly shifts, is one part troublemaker, one part truth-teller, and one part demon who demands respect. The Mad Angler, on the other hand, could be called the Mad Shaman or Mad Activist, as he speaks of the water and nature and then of the greed of man. While these two personas are distinct in the collection (highlighted beautifully in the unique double-sided book design) they also come together at times in perfect harmony. The Deadman and the Mad Angler are walking contradictions—twin sons of different mothers. The Deadman is a trickster figure, a hive of contradictions. He can be killed but cannot die. He is supremely intelligent, yet is as dumb as a stone. He is an enigma to himself and to all others, yet he understands the origins and the meanings of the inner lives of all things. He is impossible to understand, yet somehow through his musings enlightenment occurs. His poems inspire contentedness, even though they might frighten you first in order to do so. The Mad Angler is more finely tuned, focused primarily on the environment. He exercises more restraint and resistance than his scattered brother, focusing on nature and on what is flowing in the water around him and inside of him. His voice is sure and firm on all things water related because he is as much river as person. The collection embraces these voices as separate and unique identities, while highlighting a center section called “Confluence,” the place where these two come together to meditate on some of the most profound emotions evoked by the contemporary world. Lying in the River’s Dark Bed reflects the compatibilities and contradictions of the natural world. These ritualized poems are both funny and thought provoking and an example of persona writing at its best. Those interested in conversational poetry and environmental writing will be enthralled with this stirring yet soothing collection.

The Confluence of the Deadman and the Mad Angler

Lying in the River's Dark Bed

A dark, rollicking collection of stories about men prone to foolishness trying to make their way in a modern world.

Michael Delp

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