Danville author Jim Warner returns to Scranton for new poetry book signing at Library Express on April 22
From a press release:
Danville native and current Philadelphia resident Jim Warner will be returning to his old stomping grounds for a signing and reading of his new book of poetry, “Actual Miles,” at the Library Express Bookstore at The Marketplace at Steamtown in Scranton on Sunday, April 22 at 1 p.m.
Part travelogue, part power pop catharsis, “Actual Miles” is Warner’s third collection of poetry and his first book in nearly a decade. Crisscrossing Rust Belt mining towns and Filipino rice paddies, “Actual Miles” finds him disassembling home and extracting language from record grooves and Mason jars to reclaim his identity as a bastard son of the highway.
“For the better part of the last five years or so, I’ve been on the move. In the last five years I’ve gone from Scranton, Pennsylvania to Central Illinois to Knoxville, Tennessee and back to Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, for now). In the next six months, my wife and I will be pulling up stakes again to…?” Warner explained in a press kit for the book.
“I like being in motion, love the road. Granted, having a giant record and vinyl collection to wrangle each move is intense, but it’s fuel for the fire, right? Travel keeps you honest, forces you to pare down, be neat and compact. I probably do as much writing while behind the wheel as I do behind a desk.”
The Library Express (300 Lackawanna Ave., Scranton) event is free and open to the public. The 98-page book, released through Sundress Publications on March 12, will be available to purchase for $15 and is also available online.
Receiving his MFA from Wilkes University, Warner’s professional resume includes stints as managing editor for Quiddity, assistant director of Wilkes University’s MFA program, and his current role as MFA faculty at Arcadia University. He is the author of two poetry collections, “Too Bad It’s Poetry” and “Social Studies” (Paper Kite Press). His poetry has appeared in the North American Review, RHINO, New South, PANK, and various journals. He also writes the column “Best Worst Year” for Sundog Lit.
Warner is a 2006 Norris Church Mailer Fellowship recipient and a finalist for the 2015 Erskine J. Poetry Prize. He is the founder and former host/coordinator of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference Afterhours Reading and Poetry Slam. Since 2006, the Afterhours Reading has grown to include prizes from Etruscan Press and Akashic Books for winners and has provided an opportunity for student voices to be a part of the conference.
Formerly a co-host of the bi-monthly reading series Prose in Pubs at Jack’s Draft House in Scranton, he also co-coached Tunkhannock’s teen poetry team, the Breaking Ground Poets, helping lead them to the Brave New Voices International Teen Poetry Slam Festival on multiple occasions. Warner has served as a regional coordinator and judge for national programs, including Poetry Out Loud, Letters about Literature, and the James Jones First Novel Fellowship. He brings nearly two decades of audio production,including producing work for PRX and NPR, and literary experience to his role as host and showrunner for Citizen Lit, a literary podcast that explores what it means to be an active member of the writing world through reviews, interviews, and recorded performances.
“Right now, I am working on a collaborative writing project with Beth Gilstrap. We are writing haibun-inspired pieces based on our mutual experiences in punk and hardcore,” Warner said.
“Over hanging out at AWPs, we discovered that we both spent time in our area’s punk communities. At the time, I had been writing haibun and haiku and was looking for a way to experiment with my writing using them as a base. Since last March, we’ve written nearly 40 pieces and have had a real positive response both in publication and reader feedback.”
Photo by Jason Riedmiller Photography
