Joseph Bathanti – författare

In The 13th Sunday after Pentecost, Joseph Bathanti offers poems that delve deep into a life reimagined through a mythologized past. Moving from his childhood to the present, weaving through the Italian immigrant streets of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to his parochial school, from the ballpark to church and home again, these contemplative poems present a situation unique to the poet but familiar to us all.As Bathanti recalls the joys, struggles, and confusion of his formative years in the late fifties and into the sixties, he gains a deeper understanding of the often surreal, always paradoxical world around him. He explores the perceived injustices of childhood, observes the mysteries of religious rituals, and examines the complex emotions families experience as children grow up and parents grow old. These poems divulge an eventful life, compelling us to reflect on our own as we confront a world of wonder and uncertainty.""Across the strike zone swoops a dove, // maybe an angel. You're in Pittsburgh, // March; it's snowing. All week // you've seen angels; everyone's tired, // proclaiming even horrid things angels, // intimating miracles. Johnson's pitch // obliterates the bird- // a hail of feathers and dander, // as if inside a tiny bomb detonated. // Like a cartoon. Thoroughly unbelievable. // Around you, people are dying. // But you ignore it. // You laugh at the massacred dove. // It's not funny, but you laugh. // You could cry, rip your hair out, your clothes off, // crash through the seventhfloor window // into the slushy black streets of the city. // It's funny because it's not."" - from Angels

Light at the Seam, a new collection from North Carolina poet Joseph Bathanti, is an exploration of mountaintop removal in southern Appalachian coal country. The volume illuminates and champions often invisible people residing, in a precarious moment in time, on the glorious, yet besieged, Appalachian earth. Their call to defend it, as well as their faith that the land will exact its own reckoning, constitutes a sacred as well as existential quest. Rooted in social and restorative justice, Light at the Seam contemplates the earth as fundamentally sacramental, a crucible of awe and mystery, able to regenerate itself and its people even as it succumbs to them. More than mere cautionary tale, this is a volume of hope and wonder.

Steady Daylight, the latest volume of poetry from Joseph Bathanti, returns to the place he grew up, the now-vanished neighborhood of East Liberty in Pittsburgh. The speaker traipses fearlessly between real and imagined realms, in the face of often conflicted sensibilities, secrets, and silence. While the physical touchstones of the "old" East Liberty have evanesced, Bathanti invents a world ample enough for the dead and the living through incantatory language thrumming with hope and photographic integrity. Ultimately, Steady Daylight is an elegy and a praise song, a heartbreakingly beautiful requiem.

Founded in 1933 near Asheville, North Carolina, Black Mountain College fostered experimentation and interdisciplinary learning, placing the arts, including poetry, at the heart of its curriculum. As such, the college was home to and served as inspiration for many modern American poets. Some, including Robert Creeley, Denise Levertov, and Edward Dorn, appeared in Donald Allen's groundbreaking New American Poetry anthology, published in 1960, later becoming part of part of the American poetry canon. However, many of the Black Mountain College school of writers have been overlooked. The Anthology of Black Mountain College Poetry features over fifty poets selected with an expansive critical lens, including works written by artists not typically seen as poets, including composer John Cage, architect Buckminster Fuller, and visual artist Josef Albers. Many years in the making, this book paints the clearest picture of the poetry and poets of Black Mountain College yet.

Founded in 1933 near Asheville, North Carolina, Black Mountain College fostered experimentation and interdisciplinary learning, placing the arts, including poetry, at the heart of its curriculum. As such, the college was home to and served as inspiration for many modern American poets. Some, including Robert Creeley, Denise Levertov, and Edward Dorn, appeared in Donald Allen's groundbreaking New American Poetry anthology, published in 1960, later becoming part of part of the American poetry canon. However, many of the Black Mountain College school of writers have been overlooked. The Anthology of Black Mountain College Poetry features over fifty poets selected with an expansive critical lens, including works written by artists not typically seen as poets, including composer John Cage, architect Buckminster Fuller, and visual artist Josef Albers. Many years in the making, this book paints the clearest picture of the poetry and poets of Black Mountain College yet.

“The Southern Poetry Anthology, Volume III, second edition, edited with passion and precision, in collaboration with Texas Review Press, transcends the stereotypes surrounding Appalachia, revealing the true diversity and complexity of Appalachia’s poetic voices. Commitment to showcasing the rich and rewarding literary landscape reflects the evolving spirit of this beautiful region. This anthology serves as a testament to the resilience and beauty found in the works of Appalachian poets, painting a vivid picture of a culture that defies easy categorization. Through carefully selected poems, this edition weaves a tapestry that is as vibrant as it is complicated, offering readers a deeper understanding of Appalachia’s multifaceted identity: nuances, complexities, and sheer beauty that define Contemporary Appalachia. Embark on a literary journey that honors tradition while embracing the contemporary, as The Southern Poetry Anthology, Volume III, invites readers to explore the heart and soul of a region that defies stereotypes and resonates with authenticity.” - William Wright, Series Editor