Penelope Scambly Schott & Crow Mercies

We hope you can join us Tuesday, September 28, at 7 pm to hear Penelope Scambly Schott read from her new collection of poems, Crow Mercies, published by Calyx Press and winner of the first Sarah Lantz Memorial Poetry Prize.

Penelope is a good friend of the store and has read here several times. You can read a previous posting about her on our blog. She has a PhD in late Medieval English Literature from City University of New York. Penelope won the 2008 Oregon Book Award for Poetry for her book A Is for Anne: Mistress Hutchison Disturbs the Commonwealth. She currently writes poetry and teaches workshops, and when she's not doing those two things she likes to hike and to spoil her husband, grandson, and dog (Lily Schott Sweetdog). She has written several books of poetry, poetry narratives, and chapbooks.

Naomi Shihab Nye had this to say about Crow Mercies: "There's a knife sharpener in California who ends his notes, 'Stay sharp and shiny.' This is what Penelope Schott does with words, images, stories and memories -- sharp! shiny! -- she is not afraid to startle or jolt. A reader feels electrified." And Pat Schneider says "To read these poems is to fall in love (again) with poetry."

The Sarah Lantz Memorial Poetry Book Prize was established to commemorate the work of Sarah Lantz, who first book Far Beyond Triage, was published by Calyx Books in 2007 -- just after Sarah died from a brain tumor. The prize stands as a memorial to a great poet, writer, thinker, and enthusiast for life.

We hope you can join us!