[Brian Allgar]

Well, thank you very much, Allen!

But ... err ... I've never been to West Chester, so you must have met an impostor. Perhaps he's been stealing all my royalties, which would explain why I am not yet rich beyond the dreams of avarice. I had intended to buy a yacht, but so far, all I can afford is the small plastic kind that I can float in my bathtub.

[Roger Slater]

Alicia Stallings did not use any blurbs on Hapax, instead using the back cover for this poem of hers:

Antiblurb

This is not necessary. This is neither
Crucial nor salvation. It is no hymn
To harmonize the choirs of seraphim,
Nor any generation's bold bellwether
Leading the flock, no iridescent feather
Dropped from the Muse's wing. It does not limn,
Or speak in tongues, or voice the mute, or dim
Outmoded theories with its fireworks. Rather

This is flawed and mortal, and its stains
Bear the evidence of taking pains.
It did not have to happen, won't illumine
The smirch of history, the future's omen.
Necessity is merely what sustains —
It's what we do not need that makes us human.

[Allen Tice]

Brian, well, there was some dolichocephalic cuss with a British accent who was actually pleasant and modestly brilliant. Gimme see... an Eratospherean ... all right, come out the woodwork, whoever you were! Identify yourself. We sat opposite each other and discussed limericks, at which he was quite good, though I hadn’t had much contact with him on the E-ball prior to that. A Brit, who came all the way to West Chester, Pennsylvania. I’m not always the best with low frequency names. Been true for years, not a sign of middle age. Anyway, Brian, I ordered your Kelsay book, and will examine its structure. And laugh at its contents. Now you have sold a baker’s dozen copies.

Thanks very much, Rogerbob, for the Stallings quote. It’s good.

[David Rosenthal]

I like blurbs. I often find them helpful, and sometimes even insightful. I have definitely decided whether or not to buy or read books based on who wrote blurbs and what they wrote.

David R.

[Allen Tice]

Brian and that quality guy I met at West Chester,

I looked at Tony Barnstone’s list of books by E-ballers, and right away I found the name of Brian’s “imposter.” Truly a nice person, but inasmuch as I remember him as admirably dolichocephalic when he may regard himself as admirably brachycephalic or in between, I dare not name him lacking his enthusiastic approval. Whut a dilemma! Grrr! Swift of thought, mild of discourse, courteous in criticism, that’s him. But my name switch is simply due to me being insufficiently cephalic all round. A prince, a prince, you both each are. Praise to both!

Myself, I am either mesaticephalic or dolichocephalic depending on how one looks at things.

To me, a positive blurb indicates some degree of alignment by the blurbdonor with the book. I have often looked at blurbs online and elsewhere to help me make that hard choice on shelf space. If I were asked to be a blurbdonor and honestly felt I couldn’t ethically do it, I’d just say truly to the author that it wasn’t my kind of material, let’s stay friends, maybe next tome. Case by case, ad hoc. If I were the author and got that kind of polite turndown, it would spur me to do better next tome.

[Catherine Chandler]

Allen,



I've been very blessed with editors finding stellar poets to write blurbs for my books (Richard Wilbur and Rhina Espaillat to mention two). I did have to find blurbers for my Richard Wilbur Award book as well as my latest from Kelsay Books.



My Canadian collection had one blurb by my mentor and (then) poetry editor of Biblioasis Press, Eric Ormsby, as well as one poem from inside the collection.



Those for whom I've written book cover or inside blurbs include Timothy Murphy (two books), Elise Hempel, Jean Krieling, David Anthony, Richard Meyer, Karen Kelsay Davies, J.D. Smith, and the new Powow River Poets Anthology II (Able Muse Press).




My latest, from Kelsay books, has one blurb (Ned Balbo) and a poem not inside the book. I prefer this format.

[Allen Tice]

Thank you, Catherine. I’m about to start my blurb hunt today with some classics professors at Columbia University. Who knows, who knows, what will happen? Maybe nihil, maybe τιποτα.

[Bill Carpenter]

Interesting discussion, Allen. Thanks for fostering it. I would hazard a guess that you met David Anthony at West Chester, whom your description fits. I met him there, sitting at a table with Tim Murphy in the lobby when I arrived, now several years ago.

I wonder whether publishers' preference for blurbs is based on their experience that blurbs sell books, on an unfounded dogma holding the same, or on a rule that writers should demonstrate to the marketplace that they command some level of interest or respect in their trade. I doubt if I've ever bought a book because of a blurb. Now that Amazon allows you to "Look Inside," you can form your own snap judgment about whether the book interests you. My Alfred epic Eþandun will be coming out soon, at long last. I was shy about asking for blurbs but also did not want to contradict the publisher's preference (Beaver's Pond Press, located here), so I provided excerpts from emails, with appropriate permissions. You doubtless have various nuggets of texts that can be enlisted as blurbs if need be. Best wishes, Bill

[Allen Tice]

I can't be sure that it wasn't David Anthony. The name rings a definite bell. He was nice about my fumbling efforts, which I hope have improved. There's a learning curve to almost everything. Except perhaps inspiration. And how to write six ways at once so that no one catches on. That's work.

What I really want is credible blurbs from Billy Collins, Anthony Fauci, and Banksy. Even little blurbinos, as long as they're credible and true. Thus from Banksy: "This guy made me want to paint the top of my head." From Fauci: "Few things better to wait it out with than some of these poems by Allen Tice. Get his book. It's called "Of Course,". From B.C.: "I sailed around the room with Tice. Gave up free verse. Forever."

Thanks for replying.

[David Anthony]

I don't recall meeting Allen or discussing limericks at West Chester. Perhaps it was Gregory Dowling?