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Parallel Press releases 'What Grandmother Says' by J.D. Whitney

Posted 11/7/2000

Cover of MADISON, Wis.-- Poet J.D. Whitney becomes the latest Parallel Press chapbook author with the release of What Grandmother Says. This chapbook marks the tenth release for the press, an imprint of the UW-Madison libraries. It features subtle life-lessons and evocative word-pictures.

What Grandmother Says brims with wisdom lightly told, and the collection gives voice to grandmother's amused tolerance and delighted appreciation of all creation. As in many native cultures, "grandmother" represents more than an elder family member, but also an essential creative force.

A chapbook is a small-format literary work, usually of poetry or essays.

Whitney has received creative writing fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wisconsin Arts Board. This chapbook adds to an extensive collection, including Word of Mouth, sd, Tongues, The Nabisco Warehouse, & SD, Tracks, and SD & done.

Whitney holds both a bachelor's and a master's in English from the University of Michigan. He is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County in Wausau.

Each Parallel Press chapbook is $10; annual subscriptions for six are $50. Titles may be ordered by writing:

The Parallel Press
372 Memorial Library
728 State St.
Madison, WI 53706

For information, see their Web site at http://parallelpress.library.wisc.edu, or phone (608) 262-2600. E-mail inquiries may be sent to kfrazier@library.wisc.edu.

Here's a sample poem from the latest chapbook.

GRANDMOTHER
tries
not to giggle &
give herself away
hiding in a
caribou
now become
food
for
little bear--
paw
holding shoulder
mouth full of
chewing on a pulling on a
tendon
THUMP
of
hoof hitting
bear on the head
pull again
thump
side-to-
side-
shaking
hard-yanking
mad-
getting
bear
thump thump thump.

The Web page for the chapbook series of the Parallel Press is: http://parallelpress.library.wisc.edu/

 

 

 

 

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