Wakoski, Diane

Bay of Angels: Poems

ISBN: 9781934695326
Tallahassee, FL: Anhinga Press, 2013. First Edition. Softcover. Inscribed, signed & dated by Diane Wakoski to Robin Eichele. “When silver bangles clashed on / my young arm, as my / sturdy harpsichord-playing fingers were / shooting that one winning craps game, // I was for a moment the woman / on film. // What a pale girl I had been, / smoking Russian cigarettes, / playing solitaire, always / watching the high school Jimmy Deans, whose eyes / were silver bullets. Once I was caught / in the black and silver of a motorcycle jacket, and once, / I was caught grinning in an artists’ cafe, / masked / in smoke, / against discovery. Yet…”--Diane Wakowski, “Szymborska’s Cigarette,” pg. 62. Diane Wakowski (b. 1937), is associated with the Deep Image poets, the Confessional poets & the Beat Generation, and happens to be one of the finest American poets of the last century. Wakoski is the author of over 60 published collections of poetry and prose. Her honors include a Fulbright fellowship, a Michigan Arts Foundation award, and grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Michigan Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts. She taught for many years at Michigan State University. Offered today is the 2013 collection of poetry, Bay Of Angels. A dream-like odyssey through an eerie, nostalgic wonderland of gambling and love and grief, Bay Of Angels is a powerful collection that stands as one of the best within Wakowski’s oeuvre. From back cover, by the author herself: “ “La Baie des Anges” is on beautiful black and white that won’t make you regret the lack of color. It is an existentialist film, but one that doesn’t seem dated. The romance is not gaudy, it’s believable – both about gambling and about love. Since gambling and love are two reasons for excitement, two activities that teach us about ourselves, and two misunderstood human diversions, it seems that this film offers so much. The Bay of Angels, of course, is a place, but to me it’s where I’d like to drown, with angels all around me, holding cards and offering me poker chips, should I ever have to die that way.” An incredible Wakowski collectible! From the collection of Robin Eichele (b. 1941), an esteemed American poet who co-founded the Detroit Artists' Workshop with the legendary John Sinclair (1941-2024) during 1964, & is our good nearby friend. Signed, inscribed & dated by Diane Wakowski to Robin Eichele at title page in thin black ink: “For Robin Eichele – / with hopes that you have / many Pumpkin Pie / moments / in your life. “It / will be delicious.” / Diane / 10 April 2014.” We have also found and retained at page 9, a blank sticky note affixed to top-middle of page & between pages 40 and 41, a stapled print-out of Wakowski’s Wikipedia page, both presumably put there by Eichele. Trade-format softcover original. First edition as stated “First Edition 2013” at page IV. In relatively very fine condition with only minor wear to fine edges, slight smudging/scratching to front and back covers. Interior very fine with no perceptible wear. Very Fine. [Item #9498]

Price: $50.00 save 10% $45.00