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"Good heavens," Alicia
Ostriker exclaimed about one

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of my favorite poetry
collections by Peggy Shumaker,

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Gnawed Bones.

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What a book.

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I marveled similarly
upon reading

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Peggy's latest book of poetry,
her New and Selected, Cairn.

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On occasion, Peggy writes a
poetry so intense, so empathic,

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so pared down to
essence, the poem

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reaches that state which
Dickinson characterized as zero

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at the bone, that long lyric O
registering not simply lament,

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but also hard won
awe arising out

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of being a survivor of many
setbacks, several tragedies,

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but refusing to be
defined by loss.

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Rather, through will,
reorientation, and grace,

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Peggy brings a precise attention
to both the music and meaning

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of the lyric, a precision
she shares with Dickinson.

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By turn, ecopoetic, elegiac,
ekphrastic, praiseful,

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in the splendid
Cairn, Peggy invites

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us to dwell in a poetry infused
by a beauty of word and spirit,

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a largesse of mind and heart.

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Cairn offers a
profound exploration

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of what it is to approach the
world from a place of a fully

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present attentiveness or, as
Peggy puts it in her homage

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to LA's inaugural poet
laureate Eloise Klein Healy

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and her spouse Colleen Rooney,
to place our feet with care

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on this Earth.

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Peggy has served as
the Stadler Center

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for Poetry's Distinguished
Poet in Residence

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at Bucknell University,
the Rasmuson Foundation's

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distinguished artist, and for
three years as Alaska's poet

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laureate.

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She is founding editor of
the Boreal Book series,

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an imprint of Red Hen Press,
editor of the Alaska Literary

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Series at University of
Alaska, and a past NEA

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fellow in poetry.

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Please join me in
welcoming Peggy Shumaker.

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[APPLAUSE]

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Thank you, Cynthia.

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Will you travel with me
and introduce me always?

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[LAUGHTER]

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There are in this world
people who teach us

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that it's possible to
live a creative life,

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and tonight one of those
people for me is in this room.

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When I was six years old and
completely confused about life,

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Dottie Davis was
my dance teacher.

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And she's here.

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Thank you, Dottie.

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[APPLAUSE]

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And when I was 18 years old,
my freshman composition teacher

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told me and Mark Doty
and our whole class

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to come to the Poetry
Center, and that

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was the first time I set
foot in the Poetry Center.

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And so I was very lucky
to have that teacher.

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I also want to
acknowledge booksellers

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wherever they may be.

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Thank you, booksellers.

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[APPLAUSE]

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