Salmon - A Journey in Poetry: 1981-2007 | Bilingual Poetry Collection | Perfect for Literature Lovers & Book Club Discussions

Salmon: A Journey in Poetry 1981-2007 celebrates 26 years of innovative and exciting Irish and international poetry. The organization of the volume is simple: two poems from the poet's Salmon collection (or collections) and one uncollected poem. Detailed biographical notes for each poet, and a complete bilbiography of Salmon's publications, are also included.The poets featured are: Nadya Aisenberg, Nuala Archer, Leland Bardwell, Marck L. Beggs, Michael S. Begnal, Marvin Bell, Eva Bourke, Ray Bradbury, Rory Brennan, Heather Brett, Patricia Burke Brogan, Simmons B. Buntin, Sam Burnside, Catherine Byron, Louise C. Callaghan, Seamus Cashman, David Cavanagh, Jerah Chadwick, Patrick Chapman, Mary Coll, Roz Cowman, Vicki Crowley, Theodore Deppe, Mary Dorcey, Carol Ann Duffy, Michael Egan, Mícheál Fanning, Gabriel Fitzmaurice, Mélanie Francès, Philip Fried, Erling Friis-Baastad, Paul Genega, Frank Golden, Michael Gorman, Mark Granier, Robert Greacen, Angela Greene, Maurice Harmon, Clarinda Harriss, Anne Le Marquand Hartigan, Michael Heffernan, Kevin Higgins, Michael D. Higgins, Rita Ann Higgins, John Hildebidle, Ron Houchin, Ben Howard, Gerald Hull, Fred Johnston, John Kavanagh, Anne Kennedy, Thomas Krampf, Jessie Lendennie, James Liddy, Dave Lordan, Catherine Phil MacCarthy, Joan McBreen, Jeri McCormick, Stephanie McKenzie, Ethna McKiernan, Ted McNulty, Máighréad Medbh, John Menaghan, Áine Miller, Patricia Monaghan, Noel Monahan, Alan Jude Moore, Tom Morgan, Jude Nutter, Jean O'Brien, Clairr O'Connor, Hugh O'Donnell, Mary O'Donnell, Ciaran O'Driscoll, Mary O'Donoghue, Desmond O'Grady, Sheila O'Hagan, Tom O'Malley, Barbara Parkinson, Mary O'Malley, Gwyn Parry, Angela Patten, Paul Perry, Mark Roper, Tom Sexton, James Simmons, Janet Shepperson, Janice Fitzpatrick Simmons, Robin Skelton, Knute Skinner, Jo Slade, R.T. Smith, Olaf Tyaransen, Eithne Strong, Jean Valentine, Breda Sullivan, Richard Tillinghast, John Unrau, Peter van de Kamp, Michèle Vassal, Eamonn Wall, Emily Wall, Gordon Walmsley, Gary J. Whitehead, Sabine Wichert, and Ann Zell.Reviews/ArticlesA Review of "Salmon: A Journey in Poetry" from the May 2008 issue of Books Ireland. Review by Hugh McFaddenSalmon: A Journey in Poetry is a very substantial anthology of verse by 106 poets from the Salmon stable. It is an impressive testament to the work of this publishing house, which was set up in 1981 by the book's editor, Jessie Lendennie, who has served the cause of poetry in Ireland admirably for 27 years now.She was born in Arkansas in the United States but has lived in Ireland since 1981, firstly in Galway and, since the mid-90s, in County Clare, near the Cliffs of Moher.For the first few years of its operation, Salmon concentrated largely on publishing verse by women poets who had not yet published collections, but gradually its list widened to include male poets, some previously unpublished and others who had been published elsewhere but who switched to Salmon. Some, indeed, had well established reputations, such as Rory Brennan, Robert Greacen, Fred Johnston, James Liddy, Des O'Grady, James Simmons, Robin Skelton and Knute Skinner.Among the women poets whose careers were advanced by Salmon are such well known names as Nuala Archer, Leland Bardwell, Eva Bourke, Heather Brett, Louise C. Callaghan, Roz Cowman, Anne le Marquand Hartigan, Rita Ann Higgins, Jessie Lendennie herself, Catherine Phil MacCarthy, Máighréad Medbh, Mary O'Donnell, Sheila O'Hagan, Mary O'Malley, Jo Slade and Eithne Strong. Only a handful or so of these poets had already established strong reputations as writers before being published by Salmon.In more recent years the press has become more cosmopolitan, more international, with the addition of such writers as Nadya Aisenberg, Marvin Bell, Ray Bradbury, Theodore Deppe, Carol Ann Duffy, Mélanie Frances, Erling Friis-Baastad, Paul Genega, John Hildebidle, Ron Houchin, Ben Howard, Adrienne Rich, John Unrau, Jean Valentine, Michéle Vassal, Sabine Wichert and Ann Zell.Two poems were chosen from the volumes published by Salmon of each of the 106 poets, who were asked then to supply an unpublished third poem. There are so many good poems that could be highlighted, but here are a random few that made an immediate impression: Nuala Archer's 'The Lost Glove is Happy'; Leland Bardwell's 'Moments'; Rory Brennan's 'The Paper Kisses', and 'Equality is not Defeat'; Sam Burnside's 'The Salt Box'; Roz Cowman's 'Peanuts'; Vicki Crowley's 'The Sky Road'; Robert Greacen's 'At Brendan Behan's Desk'; Ron Houchin's 'Translating Water'; Ben Howard's 'Remembering Galway'; Mary O'Donnell's 'My Father Waving', and, particularly, 'Unlegendary Heroes'; Mary O'Malley's 'The Otter Woman'; Paul Perry's 'The improbable flowers of Vizcaya'; Robin Skelton's 'Two in a Garden'; and Richard Tillinghast's 'Snowflakes & A Jazz Waltz'. And there are many other memorable verses in this treasure-trove of poetry from Salmon. This is one anthology that is worth its weight.