Bill Knott: The Naomi Poems
Tuesday, April 29
Doors: 7:30pm
Event: 8pm
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Black Ocean Press and the Poetic Research Bureau host the book launch of poet Bill Knott’s first book The Naomi Poems: Corpse and Beans, in print again after almost 60 years. With readings of Knott’s poems by Michalle Gould, Joseph Mosconi, Brian Kim Stefans, Hans F. Wagner, and Matthew Woodman.
Bill Knott’s first book, The Naomi Poems: Corpse and Beans, was written under the pen name St. Geraud, the fictional persona of “a virgin and a suicide” who allegedly died two years prior to publication. The Naomi Poems was received to great acclaim and brought him to the attention of such poets as James Wright, who called Knott an "unmistakable genius." It also went on to inspire generations of fellow artists and writers—such as James Tate, Jim Jarmusch, Mary Ruefle, Thurston Moore, and Denis Johnson. While first editions have become treasured collector’s items today, The Naomi Poems is finally back in print for the first time in almost 60 years featuring a new introduction by Richard Hell.
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Bill Knott was born in Carson City, Michigan, in 1940 and died in Bay City, Michigan, in 2014. In the years between, Knott traveled the country—eventually settling in Boston—and proceeded to publish eleven full-length books of poems and was awarded both the Iowa Poetry Prize and a Guggenheim fellowship.