Ferrari, Mary

The Flying Glove

New York, NY, USA: Adventures in Poetry, 1973. First Edition. Stapled Sheets. “Someday I shall marry perhaps / and go by ship to France to live / stopping first in Rome to see / the Pope and the Pincio Gardens… / You will find Paris a gray city / with none of New Orleans’ color. / A disappointment at first / until you know the bridges / and Saint Julien le Pauvre / crumbling and small, hiding behind / a broken tree across the Seine / from Notre Dame / (the contrast there is strong.) / You will discover / that what Apollinaire / said about the Seine is true…”--Mary Ferrari, first several stanzas of “The Seine.” Mary Ferrrari (b. 1928) is a poet who, since the 1960s, has been engaging in both producing and teaching poetry. She received a BA from the college of New Rochelle in the 50s–a time when few women pursued undergraduate degrees–and later received an MA in English from New York University and an MPHIL in English from Columbia University. She taught senior English at the Academy of Mount Saint Ursula for 10 years. She taught freshman and sophomore English at Iona college for 10 years. She taught poetry workshops and at the St. Mark ‘s place Poetry Project. She was awarded the Dylan Thomas award for poetry at the New School. Her work has appeared in three previous collections of her own and in such magazines and anthologies as Julebord No. 5 (2024), The World, Another World, Adventures in Poetry, Angel Hair,Broadway 1 and Broadway 2, Hanging Loose Press, Telephone and New York Quarterly. Ferrari is married and has four children. She lived in Paris for four years and has lived in Larchmont, New York, for over 50 years. She and her husband Frank Ferrari lived in South Africa, where she taught poetry to the streetboys of Johannesburg and also was a visiting professor in creative writing at the University of Witswatersrand. Her Poetry has appeared in the South African magazines The New Nation and The Staffrider. After returning to New York, Ferrari volunteered teaching poetry at Sing Sing men’s prison, as well as Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in Westchester County. Offered today is the 1973 collection of poetry, The Flying Glove. With illustrations by Susan Hall (b. 1943), legendary visual artist, The Flying Glove is one of Ferrari’s more interesting works. Situated somewhat early into her poetic career, it is at once experimental (in keeping with the tradition of the 60s, & 70s)--clearly inspired by Beats like Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) & Gregory Corso (1930-2001), as well as figures like William Carlos Williams (1883-1963) & Paul Blackburn (1926-1971)--and pleasantly concise, contemplative, and propulsive, leaving the reader with a desire to keep reading. An interesting and increasingly rare Ferrari rarity! From the collection of Albert Glover (1942-2026), the acclaimed American poet, bibliographer, editor, publisher & academician who was the foremost remaining authority on Charles Olson (1910-1970), the Great Black Mountain-&-Beyond Poet's Poet who is our favorite Maximus Obscurantist. Glover was a student of & anointed by the Maximus Master himself at SUNY Buffalo during the 1960s, & ever since was the foremost Olsonian Torch-Bearer. We were honored to know Glover, & are deeply saddened at his recent passing. Stapled sheets. First edition, with reference to a limited edition of 26 copies lettered & signed by the author and artist as stated at colophon. In relatively fine-very fine condition with moderate wear to fine edges, slight fading/discoloration due to age toning throughout interior, moderate smudging/scratching/spotting to front and back covers, and mild rusting at staples. Fine-Very Fine. [Item #9014]

Price: $60.00