The Shadow
SPONSORSHIP — Author R. Parks Lanier Jr. will present a poetry reading and book signing Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Clifton Forge School of the Arts. The event is part of the Appalachian Poetry Series being presented by Appalfolks of America Association. Child’s Auto and Truck Repair is one of the sponsors for the poetry series. Here holding a copy of Lanier’s book “Appalachian Georgics and Collected Poems” are Robert Childs, left, of Childs Auto and Truck Repair, and Heather Wood, Appalfolks secretary. (Photo Courtesy Appalfolks of America Association)
SPONSORSHIP — Author R. Parks Lanier Jr. will present a poetry reading and book signing Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Clifton Forge School of the Arts. The event is part of the Appalachian Poetry Series being presented by Appalfolks of America Association. Child’s Auto and Truck Repair is one of the sponsors for the poetry series. Here holding a copy of Lanier’s book “Appalachian Georgics and Collected Poems” are Robert Childs, left, of Childs Auto and Truck Repair, and Heather Wood, Appalfolks secretary. (Photo Courtesy Appalfolks of America Association)
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CLIFTON FORGE — R. Parks Lanier Jr., author of “Appalachian Georgics and Collected Poems,” will present a poetry reading at the Clifton Forge School of the Arts Saturday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m.
A book-signing will be held immediately following the reading with refreshments available. There is no charge to attend the reading.
The poetry reading and book signing by Lanier will be the official release date for the book that is already available on Kindle and Amazon.
The book is the second in a planned series of poetry books to be published by Appalfolks of America Association (AAA). The foreword is written by Marilou Awiakta.
AAA owns and operates Mountain Empire Publications in Clifton Forge. The first book in the series was published in 2013, “An Appalachian Poet in San Francisco” by Ray Allen. Allen is also president of AAA.
Lanier retired from Radford University in 2008 following a 37-year career as an English professor and served as chairman of the Appalachian Studies Con-ference for five years.
Prior to his career at RU, he majored in English at Pfeiffer College in Misenheimer, N. C., 1962-1966. After graduating from Pfeiffer College, he attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., where he earned M.A. and Ph.D degrees.
While reading a translation of Virgil’s “Georgics” by Dr. Smith Palmer Bovie in 1980, Lanier realized that the Roman poet’s situation during the first century was similar to his, and he began writing a series of poems that he eventually published as a chapbook, “Appalachian Georgics.”
Many of the poems in this new book have been published in literary magazines including “Appalachian Heritage,” “Wildwood,” “Appa-lachian Journal,” “Bread-basket with the Blues,” and “Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel.” Many have won recognition in poetry contests.
Both Lanier and Allen’s books are available on Kindle and Amazon and can be ordered by mailing a check for $14.95 to Moun-tain Empire Publications, P.O. Box 613, Clifton Forge, Va. 24422.
