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Thank you, Poetry Daily, for This Honor…

March 5, 2013 by · 54 Comments

 I’ve been designated the “Featured Poet” for today at Poetry Daily.  Needless to say I’m delighted.  I’m grateful, too.

 

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Professor Stephen Kuusisto is the author of “Eavesdropping: A Memoir of Blindness and Listening” and the acclaimed memoir “Planet of the Blind”, a New York Times “Notable Book of the Year”. His second collection of poems from Copper Canyon Press, “Letters to Borges“ has just been released. Listen to Steve read “Letter to Borges in His Parlor” in this fireside reading via YouTube. He is currently working on a book tentatively titled What a Dog Can Do. Steve speaks widely on diversity, disability, education, and public policy. www.stephenkuusisto.com, www.planet-of-the-blind.com

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Just Released! Letters to Borges by Stephen Kuusisto (Copper Canyon Press)

February 14, 2013 by · 29 Comments

Stephen Kuusisto Reads from Letters to Borges, His New Book of Poems

JUST RELEASED!  Best-selling memoirist Stephen Kuusisto uses the themes of travel, place, religion, music, art, and loneliness to explore the relationship between seeing, blindness, and being. In poems addressed to Jorge Luis Borges—another poet who lived with blindness—Kuusisto leverages seeing as negative capability, creating intimacy with deep imagination and uncommon perceptions.

If you enjoyed this reading and would like to listen to several more poems from Letters to Borges, it’s easy enough to arrange.  This FREE recording is yours to enjoy at your leisure, preferably from your favorite cozy chair with a cup of coffee or a nice glass of wine in hand. Simply fill in the “Join me for a cozy ‘fireside’ poetry reading…” form found to the right of this blog post or make your request below.

REVIEWS:

Seth Abramson Seth Abramson, Poet

Kuusisto’s is a life one wants to know, detailed sparingly by a man one wants to know, inscribed in a generic form one finds oneself not merely compelled but honored to read. Letters to Borges is highly recommended for those who still find honor and beauty in both simplicity and–can it be?–actually having something to say.  Read more of Seth Abramson’s reviewfrom the Huffington Post,  Huff Post Books, November 2012


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If we account for Kuusisto’s restricted sight, the brilliance of his verse acquires deeper resonance, for his work imagines a realm between sight and sound composed of the sensory stimuli we all know and recognize, but split, fractured, and juxtaposed to inhabit the mind’s ear of his readers, a feat unique to this truly gifted poet. — Diego Báez, Booklist Advanced Review

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Professor Stephen Kuusisto is the author of “Eavesdropping: A Memoir of Blindness and Listening” and the acclaimed memoir “Planet of the Blind”, a New York Times “Notable Book of the Year”.  His second collection of poems from Copper Canyon Press, “Letters to Borges“ has just been released.  He is currently working on a book tentatively titled What a Dog Can Do.  Steve speaks widely on diversity, disability, education, and public policy. www.stephenkuusisto.com, www.planet-of-the-blind.com
 








 Join me for a cozy “fireside” poetry reading…

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Are you a rascal?

September 27, 2012 by · 1 Comment

Provided by the Department of VSA and Accessibility at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Writing Spotlights is an educational tool teachers can use in their classroom.

According to the web site, this tool “features short literary works by prominent writers with disabilities. Designed to engage middle and high school students and encourage dialogue about disability and diversity, each Writing Spotlight is accompanied by discussion questions and writing activities to promote language arts skills, including reading comprehension and creative writing.”

Stone Strong was written by Stephen Kuusisto specifically for Writing Spotlights.  Here is an excerpt:

I’m an old man nowadays but don’t let that fool you—I’m a bit of a rascal. I always was a rascal.

…I always loved to tell stories and from my earliest days I could talk to anyone. Let’s be honest: if you’re blind it really helps if you can talk to people—especially by being bold, not waiting for others to talk to you first. You can’t be a wallflower and go places in this world and that’s particularly true if you can’t see. When I catch a train I don’t stand around the station waiting for someone to tell me where to go. I just ask the invisible people around me where the train to Poughkeepsie is. You can’t be shy if you have a disability—any kind of disability. Anyway, a rascal is someone who likes to talk and occasionally he’ll even stretch the truth if he has to. That’s just how it is.

 

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Congrats – and thank you – to Erin Coughlin Hollowell

September 20, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Congrats – and thank you – to Erin Coughlin Hollowell.

Erin purchased Stephen Kuusisto’s new book of poems and saved $ by taking advantage of the pre-order price. In so doing, she also entered a random drawing and is the winner this week of an autographed copy of “Only Bread, Only Light”, Steve’s first book of poetry (Copper Canyon Press).

Will you be next week’s winner?

 

 

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Letters to Borges: Pre-order and save!

September 12, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Hey friends and poetry lovers!

UPDATE: “Letters to Borges” is now scheduled for a mid-November release.

We are now counting down to the release next month of Steve’s new book! Amazon is offering a special pre-order price (details below!) and Steve would like to sweeten the deal.  Take advantage of Amazon’s offer,  email a copy of your receipt to authorsvirtualsolutions@gmail.com and you will automatically be entered into a drawing to win an autographed copy of  “Only Bread, Only Light”, Steve’s first book of poems  (Copper Canyon Press).  (If you already have a copy, it would make a great gift for another poetry lover!)

Unless notified otherwise, the scheduled publication date of “Letters to Borges” is October 15th.  Steve will hold one random drawing a week between now and then, and the final drawing will be held on the actual date his new book is released.  That means you will have a minimum of 5 chances to win if you order now.  Winners names will be posted.

1st random drawing: Sept. 19 – Congrats and thank you to Erin Coughlin Hollowell!
2nd random drawing: Sept. 26 – Congrats and thank you to Cindy Leland!
3rd random drawing: Oct. 3 – Congrats and thank you to Shirley Merrill!
4th random drawing: Oct. 10 – Congrats and thank you Karen Rudloff!
Final drawing: actual release date of “Letters to Borges” (scheduled for Oct. 15)

DETAILS:

Letters to Borges [Paperback]
Stephen Kuusisto (Author)
List Price: $16.00
Price: $10.88 Eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime.
You Save: $5.12 (32%)
Pre-order Price Guarantee. Learn more.

This title has not yet been released.
You may pre-order it now and we will deliver it to you when it arrives.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

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