Fall for the Book Festival: Annual Reading Celebrates Contemporary Poets

Poet Tim Seibles - photo by John Doucette

Split This Rock & Fall for the Book Present: 

For the fifth consecutive year, Fall for the Book will host a poetry reading at the Old Firestation #3 — this year with a special focus on poets of distinction throughout the immediate region.

Elizabeth Arnold, David Keplinger, Christopher Nealon, Mel Nichols, Tim Seibles, and Rod Smith will be sampling their works on Saturday, September 29, at 8 p.m. at 3988 University Drive in downtown Fairfax, VA.

The year’s reading is sponsored by Split This Rock.

Elizabeth Arnold, who teaches in the MFA program at the University of Maryland, has published three books of poems, The Reef, Civilization, and Effacement. She has received numerous awards for her work, including a Bunting Fellowship and Whiting Writers Award.

David Keplinger

David Keplinger is the director of the creative writing program at American University and the author of three collections of poetry: The Rose Inside, which won the 1999 T.S. Eliot Prize; The Clearing; and most recently, The Prayers of Others, which won the Colorado Book Award.

Christopher Nealon is the author of two books of poems, The Joyous Age and Plummet, as well as the books Foundlings: Lesbian and Gay Historical Emotion before Stonewall and The Matter of Capital: Poetry and Crisis in The American Century. He teaches at Johns Hopkins U.

Mel Nichols’ books include Catalytic Exteriorization Phenomenon, a finalist in the 2007 National Poetry Series; Bicycle Day; The Beginning of Beauty (Part 1: hottest new ringtones mnichol6); and Day Poems. With Rod Smith she curates the Ruthless Grip Poetry Series at Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center. She is a professor at George Mason University.

Tim Seibles, who teaches at Old Dominion University, is the author of seven books of poetry, including Body Moves, Hurdy-Gurdy, and most recently, Fast Animal. His poetry has been featured in Best American Poetry and he has been the recipient of an NEA grant for poetry and Open Voice award. He also teaches in the Stonecoast MFA program and for Cave Canem.

Rod Smith is the author of poetry collections including Deed, Music or Honesty, Poèmes de l’Araignées, and In Memory of My Theories. He edits the journal Aerial, publishes Edge Books, and manages the independent Bridge Street Books in Washington, D.C.

Other poets appearing at this year’s Fall for the Book Festival — September 26-30, with events at George Mason University and at locations throughout Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland — include Rita Dove, Jane Hirshfield, Tom Pow, Cathy Park Hong, Carmen Giménez Smith, Jonathan Kryah, Jonathan Stalling, Brian Brodeur, and Danielle Cadena Deulen, among others.

For complete information on the festival, please bookmark Fall for the Book’s website at www.fallforthebook.org.