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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Luis Lopez loved memorizing poems as a child.
The first poem he ever learned by heart was Edgar Allen Poe’s “El Dorado.”
“I used to recite it and other poetry for the fun of it,” Lopez said. “I liked the sound of it.”
He began writing poems at 19, and became a serious poet at 30.
Lopez, a Mesa State College English professor, will read from his new book of poetry, “Each Month I Sing,” at the Mesa County Central Library on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Joining Lopez will be fellow MSC professor Jerry Moorman, who will read from his own new book of poems, “A Body Less Perfect” — about his experiences living with cerebral palsy.
“Each Month I Sing” is a collection of 12 poems for each month, beginning with a poem about the month’s name.
The second poem is inspired by the month’s gem, the third by its flower, the fourth by the zodiac sign it enters under, and the fifth and sixth by a famous writer and painter born in the month.
The other six poems for each month are written about the poet’s own observations and experiences.
“Salvador Quintana” is about Lopez’s schizophrenic brother who happens to be a “tremendous artist and athlete.”
The poem “Cardboard Cell Phone” came to Lopez in a grocery store where he encountered a homeless man talking into an imaginary cardboard cell phone while standing in line to buy coffee, where several other people were talking on cell phones.
Another poem is a letter from Lopez to painter Georgia O’Keefe about getting older.
Lopez spends a lot of time writing and teaching at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, where O’Keefe painted and lived for many years. It’s where Lopez also learned to do tin artwork.
The final poem, “the incurable academic discusses a snowflake,” describes himself, Lopez said.
John Nizalowski, author of “Hooking the Sun” and poetry editor of Pinion Magazine, had this to say about Lopez’s collection: “In this celebration of the yearly round, we find mythology, religion, art, culture, politics, nature, astronomy, the human condition, humor, and yes, even baseball. The poems ‘Salvador Quintana,’ ‘Encounter with La Lorona,’ and ‘Campbell’s Soup: A Villanelle for Andy Warhol’ are alone worth the price of admission. By giving us over 140 more poems, Lopez has presented us with a lyrical feast — his finest book to date.”
The “yearly round” is illustrated on the book’s cover by artist Deborah Snider, who placed zodiac signs in a circle to represent the 12 months.
“Each Month I Sing” is Lopez’s third published collection of poetry. “A Painting in Sand” was inspired by Ghost Ranch, and “Musings of a Barrio Sack Boy,” for which Lopez won a national award from Writer’s Digest in 2000, is about growing up in Albuquerque.
Lopez teaches Latin, ancient Greek, mythology and English at Mesa State College. He received a National Endowment for the Humanities to study poetry at Harvard with renowned poetry critic Helen Vendler.
“Each Month I Sing” is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. It’s also available at the college bookstore.
In addition to the library reading Sunday, Lopez will do book signings and a reading at Barnes & Noble bookstore in December.
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
The first poem he ever learned by heart was Edgar Allen Poe’s “El Dorado.”
“I used to recite it and other poetry for the fun of it,” Lopez said. “I liked the sound of it.”
He began writing poems at 19, and became a serious poet at 30.
Lopez, a Mesa State College English professor, will read from his new book of poetry, “Each Month I Sing,” at the Mesa County Central Library on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Joining Lopez will be fellow MSC professor Jerry Moorman, who will read from his own new book of poems, “A Body Less Perfect” — about his experiences living with cerebral palsy.
“Each Month I Sing” is a collection of 12 poems for each month, beginning with a poem about the month’s name.
The second poem is inspired by the month’s gem, the third by its flower, the fourth by the zodiac sign it enters under, and the fifth and sixth by a famous writer and painter born in the month.
The other six poems for each month are written about the poet’s own observations and experiences.
“Salvador Quintana” is about Lopez’s schizophrenic brother who happens to be a “tremendous artist and athlete.”
The poem “Cardboard Cell Phone” came to Lopez in a grocery store where he encountered a homeless man talking into an imaginary cardboard cell phone while standing in line to buy coffee, where several other people were talking on cell phones.
Another poem is a letter from Lopez to painter Georgia O’Keefe about getting older.
Lopez spends a lot of time writing and teaching at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, where O’Keefe painted and lived for many years. It’s where Lopez also learned to do tin artwork.
The final poem, “the incurable academic discusses a snowflake,” describes himself, Lopez said.
John Nizalowski, author of “Hooking the Sun” and poetry editor of Pinion Magazine, had this to say about Lopez’s collection: “In this celebration of the yearly round, we find mythology, religion, art, culture, politics, nature, astronomy, the human condition, humor, and yes, even baseball. The poems ‘Salvador Quintana,’ ‘Encounter with La Lorona,’ and ‘Campbell’s Soup: A Villanelle for Andy Warhol’ are alone worth the price of admission. By giving us over 140 more poems, Lopez has presented us with a lyrical feast — his finest book to date.”
The “yearly round” is illustrated on the book’s cover by artist Deborah Snider, who placed zodiac signs in a circle to represent the 12 months.
“Each Month I Sing” is Lopez’s third published collection of poetry. “A Painting in Sand” was inspired by Ghost Ranch, and “Musings of a Barrio Sack Boy,” for which Lopez won a national award from Writer’s Digest in 2000, is about growing up in Albuquerque.
Lopez teaches Latin, ancient Greek, mythology and English at Mesa State College. He received a National Endowment for the Humanities to study poetry at Harvard with renowned poetry critic Helen Vendler.
“Each Month I Sing” is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. It’s also available at the college bookstore.
In addition to the library reading Sunday, Lopez will do book signings and a reading at Barnes & Noble bookstore in December.
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
Go & Do
What: “Poetry with Professors,” a reading and book signing by poets Luis Lopez and Jerry Moorman.
When: Sunday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m. Where: Mesa County Public Library, 530 Grand Ave. Information: 683-2437 |
