Who Grows Your Work?

Sure, a poetry collection is the work of one individual, but it also grows out of a community.

A poetry collection is the manifestation of many things. It grows out of a writer’s experiences and idiosyncratic curiosities. It’s often a record of a particular time in the author’s life.

The work certainly reflects the individual poet’s obsessions, stylistic choices, and tonal qualities—a.k.a. the “zone of unique genius” I’ve been sharing in recent manuscript development classes. 

While it’s true that a collection is the work of one individual (unless it’s overtly collaborative!), it almost always grows out of a community, too. I like to think of it this way: A body of work takes root and flourishes in internal and external ecosystems. A book reflects both.

So I wanted to take a moment to share the people who nurtured Pine Soot Tendon Bone into being.

I hope you’ll join me in supporting their work.

Carol Moldaw

—a poet of exceptional lyrical precision and insight, who provided mentorship on poems and the manuscript as a whole, and who generously wrote a blurb for the book after it was selected for publication. I realized recently that I first encountered Carol’s voice in this anthology in the early 1990s. Talk about influence! 

Carol Moldaw is the author of seven books of poetry, including Beauty Refracted. Her new collection, Go Figure, is due out this September. Find her books here.

Andrea Carter Brown

—the Washington Prize series editor whose brought her keen poetic ear and eye—and empathy—to polishing the book. Without Andrea’s guidance, the collection wouldn’t have its title and cover (have I mentioned how much I love those aspects of the book?). 

Andrea Carter Brown is the author of two chapbooks and four poetry collections, most recently September 12, which received the 2022 IPPY Silver Medal in Poetry.

Explore Andrea’s books here.

Cyrus Cassells

—a poet whose wide-ranging work I have followed … well, for a very long time. I first encountered his work in the same anthology where I encountered Carol Moldaw’s. The roots of my appreciation for his work can’t go much deeper. Cyrus wrote a blurb for Pine Soot Tendon Bone—a huge honor, and a full-circle moment, for me.

Cyrus Cassells was the 2021 Poet Laureate of Texas and is the author of Is There Room for Another Horse on Your Horse Ranch?, as well as The World that the Shooter Left Us and To The Cypress Again and Again: Tribute to Salvador Espriu, among other collections. Get Cyrus’ latest books here.

Amy Irvine

—essayist and nonfiction writer. Before I started writing the poems in Pine Soot Tendon Bone, I was absorbing Amy’s thought-provoking books and articles in which she articulates, with empathy and clarity, issues that we face in the landscapes and ecosystems I love most. I’m so grateful for her words about Pine Soot Tendon Bone, which provided me with a perspective that I wouldn’t have otherwise. 

Amy Irvine is the author of Trespass: Living at the Edge of the Promised Land, Air Mail: Letters of Politics, Pandemics & Place, and Desert Cabal. Find her books here.

Nancy White

—a poet and person of so many talents, it’s hard to keep track. Nancy is President of The Word Works (Pine Soot Tendon Bone’s publisher) and was the book’s production editor, among many other roles. Without Nancy, this book simply wouldn’t be. 

Nancy White’s first book, Sun, Moon, Salt, won the Washington Prize for poetry and a second edition was issued by The Word Works in 2009. She’s the author of Detour (2010) and Ask Again Later (2017). Get Nancy’s Washington Prize-winning collection here.

It goes without saying, but …

So many other writers and friends and family members held space for the work that became this book. I can’t name them all, but I want to especially thank Mary Barbara Moore, Lise Goett, Ross Belot, Jacqueline Hughes Simon, Erin Elaine Robertson, Rachel Walker, Buzzy Jackson, Hannah Nordhaus, Michelle Theall, Haven Iverson, and Nadia Colburn. Please check out their work, follow them, buy their books. 

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Are you working on a full-length poetry manuscript or chapbook, or building a portfolio of journal publications? Learn how to work smarter and overcome common obstacles to getting published during these monthly sessions in 2024. Jump in any time. Our next session is July 10th. Get a free guest pass.