Books

Poetry as a Bridge to Japan

With the culmination of her amazing term as poet laureate of Portsmouth, Tammi Truax and the PPLP present her new book, Poetry as a Bridge to Japan. An anthology of creative work born from Truax’s poet laureate project called “A Bridge to Japan” which sought to build Portsmouth’s relationship with her sister-city of Nichinan, Japan through poetry. In addition to Truax, contributors are from several states and from Nichinan.

Writing the Land: Currents

“Writing the Land is an attempt to honor nature and our relationship with it in a way that is as equitable and transparent as it is deep and entangled. We intend to be as inclusive—to humans and places—as we hope the mantle of protection that land trusts offer can be. Our work will never be complete but gains strength, depth, beauty, and energy in a multitude of voices.” —-Lis McLoughlin, editor

The Mud Chronicles

Experience of our “fifth season” highlights this anthology, showing how much landscape and seasonal cues matter to our contributors. Plus, beings of metaphor that we are, the fifth season reminds us of emotional transitions, of times that don’t fit smoothing in the unfolding of life, that mark a shift in who we were and who we will become. – Sara Miller

For to See the Elephant

In a variety of voices, Truax tells the never-before-told story of the first two elephants to come to America and their enslaved keeper, William.In the autumn of 1795 on board a ship from Salem, Massachusetts an enslaved boy named William finds himself tasked with caring for the first elephant to be brought to America. Upon arrival in the city of New York, he and the elephant are sold together. They walk back and forth across the growing country for years so that everyone may see the elephant. A second elephant and owner replace the first and again William is with the elephant every hour of every day, until she too dies. Now a grown man, William has a fleeting moment to decide if he will remain a bondman, or walk off on his own.

The Widows' Handbook: Poetic Reflections on Grief and Survival

by Jacqueline Lapidus (Editor), Lise Menn (Editor), Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Foreword)

The Widows’ Handbook is the first anthology of poems by contemporary widows, many of whom have written their way out of solitude and despair, distilling their strongest feelings into poetry or memoir. This stirring collection celebrates the strategies widows learn and the resources they muster to deal with people, living space, possessions, social life, and especially themselves, once shock has turned to the realization that nothing will ever be the same. As Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says in her foreword, losing one’s partner is “a loss like no other.”

The Widows’ Handbook is a collection of poetry from 87 American women of all ages, legally married or not, straight and gay, whose partners or spouses have died. Some of the poets are already published widely―including more than a dozen prizewinners, four Pushcart nominees, and two regional poets laureate. Others are not as well known, and some appear in print for the first time here. With courage and wry humor, these women encounter insidious depression, poignant memories, bureaucratic nonsense, unfamiliar hardware, well-intentioned but thoughtless remarks, demanding work, spiritual revelation, and unexpected lust, navigating new relationships in the uncertain legacy of sexual liberation. They write frankly about being paralyzed and about going forward. Their poems are honest, beautiful, and accessible.

Only poetry can speak such difficult truths and incite such intense empathy. While both men and women understand the bewilderment, solitude, and change of status thrust upon the widowed, women suffer a particular social demotion and isolation. Anyone who has lost a loved one or is involved in helping the bereaved will be able to relate to the experiences conveyed in The Widows’ Handbook.

Compass Points: Stories from Seacoast Authors

A collection of 32 of the best entries to the 2015 RiverRun Bookstore Short Story Contest, these stories represent the wide variety of talented writers on the Seacoast today. This is fiction that takes you in all directions, from a high school prom to the afterlife – even to an unsettling visit from the exterminator. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoyed putting this collection together.

A Wreath of Golden Laurels: An Anthology of Poetry by 100 Poets Laureate

Poet Laureate is a title that dates back to ancient Greece. The state would appoint a Laureate, crowning them with a laurel wreath the same way they did for heroes. The concept was revived during the classical era and the mystique of the title has kept hold over the centuries and the tradition continues in modern times.

This volume contains poetry from over 100 Poets Laureate. They have been appointed by various entities including towns, cities, counties, states, organizations and institutions. They come from all over the United States, and around the world. Many of them teach classes, hold workshops, organize reading and are community leaders in their circles.

This volume represents a tradition that is thousands of years old, and comprises a collection of poetic talent worthy of a Wreath of Golden Laurels.

A History of Portsmouth NH in 101 Objects

The keepsake, 224-page, softbound book with 101 color photographs of objects whose stories are important to Portsmouth. As a memento of the 400th anniversary, this volume gives readers a sense of “who we are” and “where we are” as Portsmouth continues its journey from our past before 1623 to our future beyond 2023. Each object is depicted with a full-page photograph accompanied by an essay by a local author – 80 different writers who are the historians, experts, participants and observers of Portsmouth history best able to explain how each object’s story offers a path into our bigger 400+ year history.