Publisher's Synopsis
Celebrated and award-winning poet who's been an NEA fellow, won the International Centre for Writers and Translators residency, and been honored with the Michigan Notable Book Award and Independent Publishers Award
Taylor formerly worked as a bookseller (original Borders, Shaman drum Bookstore) and taught at the University of Michigan for twenty years and has strong connections to universities throughout Michigan
The cover painting, The Dress of the Poem by Syrian artist Khaled Al-Saa'i, was commissioned by the University of Michigan Museum of Art for its 2022 exhibition Watershed , which was curated by Jennifer M. Friess. Al-Saa'i found my poem "Sea and Rain: Lake Michigan," which is included in this collection, translated it into Arabic, then used the words and letters from the translation to create the swirl at the center of his painting. My poem is an ekphrastic reaction to James Abbott McNeil Whistler's Sea and Rain (1865) from UMMA's collection.
Mass galley mailing with a focus on poetry reviews and regional publications
Michigan festival and writers' conference promotion, including at Kerrytown Bookfest
University and course adoption push
Special outreach to organizations with which the author has connections, including Michigan Poetry Society, Hopwood Room, and University of Michigan
Blurbs forthcoming from Thomas Lynch, Laura Kasischke, Richard Tillinghast, Diane Seuss, and Bonnie Jo Campbell
Focus on indie bookstore outreach, including organizing events at Literati Bookshop, Totem Books, and Schuler Books to reach Keith's local audience
Local author push to Horizon Books and The Book Beat, which have a proven record of supporting Michigan authors
Regional and national awards push
