Graywolf Plans Instant Book on Inauguration Day Poem
by Claire Kirch -- Publishers Weekly, 12/18/2008 12:43:00 PM
They may be located far from the corridors of political power, but St. Paul, Minn. publisher Graywolf Press will have a huge presence at President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration on January 20. Wednesday afternoon it was announced that Graywolf poet and author Elizabeth Alexander will read a poem during the ceremony. Alexander, the author of four collections of poetry and two collections of essays, will read a poem she is writing specifically for this event.
On inauguration day, Graywolf plans to publish the poem as a chapbook commemorating the event and Alexander’s participation in it with a minimum first print run of 100,000 copies. The press is also planning on reprinting all of Alexander’s works, with a focus on Black Interior (2004), a collection of essays, and American Sublime (2005), her latest collection of poems, which will be reprinted in a 20,000-copy print run.
“This is the biggest thing that could happen, for Graywolf and for Elizabeth,” Mary Matze, Graywolf publicity director, said, “It’s bigger than Oprah! The entire world is going to be watching.”
Alexander, who lives in New Haven, Conn., is the fourth poet tapped to read an original poem as part of a presidential inauguration. Robert Frost read a poem at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, and both Maya Angelou and Miller Williams read their poems at Bill Clinton’s inaugurations in 1993 and 1997.
