Given that April is National Poetry Month, I think it is fitting to focus this week’s Storied Charlotte blog post on the upcoming visits to Charlotte by two nationally known poets—Nathan McClain and Jericho Brown.

Nathan McClain will give a poetry reading on Thursday, April 4, from 4:00 – 5:15 p.m. in Atkins Library’s Halton Reading Room on the main UNC Charlotte campus. McClain will read from his work, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.  One of the organizers of this event is Allison Hutchcraft, who is a creative writing professor at UNC Charlotte.  I contacted Allison and asked her for more information about this event. Here is what she sent to me:

Acclaimed poet Nathan McClain will visit UNC Charlotte on Thursday, April 4, visiting Allison Hutchcraft’s Intermediate Poetry Writing class (who recently finished reading McClain’s latest book of poems) and give a campus reading of his work in Atkins Library’s Halton Reading Room from 4:00 – 5:15 p.m.

Nathan McClain (he/him) is the author of two collections of poetry: Previously Owned (Four Way Books, 2022), longlisted for the Massachusetts Book Award, and Scale (Four Way Books, 2017). He is a recipient of fellowships from The Frost Place, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and is a Cave Canem fellow. He earned an MFA from Warren Wilson College. His poems and prose have appeared in Plume Poetry 10, The Common, Guesthouse, Poetry Northwest, and Zócalo Public Square, among others. He teaches at Hampshire College and serves as poetry editor of the Massachusetts Review.

Of Previously Owned, poet Diane Seuss has said, “The opening poem of Nathan McClain’s Previously Owned operates like the legend of a map, a key to the book’s existential topography. The poem’s presenting subject is a Roman sculpture of a boy pulling a thorn from his foot, or ‘not pulling / rather, about to pull.’ McClain addresses the self via the second person, and draws in the reader, too, as observer: ‘and here you / are, looking,’ witness to the boy’s ‘insistent grief.’ ‘And what // have you learned from / standing here so long examining pain?’ Previously Owned exists in this incremental space—the about to pull, the almost, the grief, the tenderness, the examination, and the distance. It’s a masterstroke in a masterful collection, in which a speaker of a nuanced intelligence and lush interiority reflects upon the American landscape, its pastoral and judicial and historical duplicity entwined with racial alienation and violence. McClain has written a collection of sculptural artfulness—through which the thorn of grief thrums still.”

The poet Tommye Blount has said, “In Previously Owned, America’s dark history is not quaintly rooted in the past, but dangerously ever-present. ‘And what / have you learned from / standing here so long / examining pain?’ Nathan McClain questions in the opening poem ‘Boy Pulling a Thorn from His Foot’—not just the reader—himself as witness. If Scale, his first collection, can be said to be anchored in domestic space, then Previously Owned expands the architecture of that domestic space to include Country and the country. The ways in which McClain troubles the pastoral and peripatetic traditions thrills me: ‘I’ve never actually seen a moose, / only signs warning of moose, / and NO PASSING ZONE signs’ (‘Where the View Was Clearer’); and of the fireflies in ‘Now that I live in this part of the country,’ ‘look, they / flash the way hazard / lights sometimes flash… / and I might have said, no, / don’t they seem to pulse / with the glow of old / grievances?’ This book is a triumph and will be talked about for years. Nathan McClain is one of the most daring poets I know.”

Jericho Brown will perform and discuss his poetry as part of Charlotte Lit’s annual Lit Up! celebration on Wednesday, May 1 from 6:00-8:30 at Not Just Coffee, 1026 Jay Street, in Charlotte.  This is a ticketed event, and reservations are required.  The following information about this event is from Charlotte’s Lit’s website:

Join Charlotte Lit and Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown on May 1 for Lit Up! 2024, as we celebrate eight years serving the literary arts community. Jericho performs his work, then joins Charlotte Lit Press author AE Hines and audience members in a thought-provoking conversation. Enjoy live music, a wide selection of beverages, and hors d’oeuvres by Something Classic. 6:00-8:30 pm, Not Just Coffee, Jay Street.

Ticket Options:

• General admission tickets include light bites and libations | $100 Members & their Guests, $150 Non-members [Purchase Here]
• Limited VIP tickets include light bites and libations, priority reserved seating, a signed copy of one of Jericho’s books, and a VIP lounge with our featured guests | $250 Members Only [Purchase Here]

Jericho Brown is author of the The Tradition (Copper Canyon Press, 2019), which won the Pulitzer Prize, the Paterson Poetry Prize, and was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. 

He is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Brown’s first book, Please (New Issues, 2008), won the American Book Award. His second book, The New Testament (Copper Canyon Press, 2014), won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. 

His poems have appeared in The Bennington Review, Buzzfeed, Fence, jubilat, The New Republic, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, TIME magazine, and several volumes of The Best American Poetry. He is the director of the Creative Writing Program and a professor at Emory University.

I am excited that Nathan McClain and Jericho Brown are coming to Charlotte, and I am sure that the many readers and writers of poetry who live in Storied Charlotte are just as excited as I am. 

For the third year in a row, many of the independent bookstores located in the Charlotte area are working together during the month of April on a project that they call the Greater Charlotte Book Crawl.  Their collaborative book crawl is timed to coincide with the Independent Bookstore Day, which will take place on April 27, 2024.  These participating bookstores are encouraging area readers to visit each other’s businesses and get to know what makes each bookstore unique.  For more information about the book crawl, please click on the following link:  https://greatercharlottebookcrawl.com/

Beginning April 1, bookstore lovers can pick up Greater Charlotte Book Crawl (GCBC) passports at any of the nineteen participating bookstores. Each visit to one of the bookstores during the month of April earns the crawler a new stamp.  The goal is for participants to visit all nineteen stores. Each “finisher” will earn a special edition 2024 GCBC tote bag. The finishers simply need to show a completed passport at any participating bookstore. Finishers can also submit a photo of their completed passport to be entered in a drawing for the Grand Prize: a collection of gift cards from each of the bookstores.

The Greater Charlotte Book Crawl is all about the joy of touring bookstores.  As I see it, there is something magical about visiting bookstores.  I love going to bookstores and perusing the shelves.  Another way that I enjoy touring bookstores is by reading books about bookstores.  For readers who share this interest of mine, here is a short list of great books that are either set in bookstores or are about bookstores. 

One of my favorite novels that takes place in a bookstore is The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin.  A. J. Fikry, the central character in this novel, is a lonely widower who owns a quirky bookstore called Island Books.  A. J. is a cantankerous man, but his love of Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry and his deep knowledge of classic literature provide him with ways to connect with other booklovers.

One of my favorite nonfiction books about bookstores is Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books by Paul Collins.  This memoir recounts the author’s humorous experiences when he and his family move from San Francisco to Hay-on-Wye, a Welsh town that is famous for its many used bookstores.  He gets a job working in one of these bookstores where he tries to organize an American literature section.  This book is full of eccentric bibliomaniacs and all sorts of odd and amusing information about book history. 

One of my favorite ghost stories that is set in a bookstore is The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. The novel takes place in Birchbark Books, which is a real bookstore that Erdrich owns in Minneapolis.  The main characters in the novel are Tookie, a Native American woman who works in the store, and Flora, the ghost of a white woman who used to patronize the store.  Erdrich herself also shows up as a minor character in the novel. 

One of my favorite fantasy books that takes place in a bookstore is The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods.  Often described as a work of magic realism, this novel deals with a magical bookshop in Dublin that functions as a sort of time-travel portal.  Part of the novel is set in the 1920s, and part of the story is set in the present day.  However, the timelines converge in intriguing ways.

One of my favorite children’s books about a bookstore is The Book Itch:  Freedom, Truth, and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.  This book is a work of fiction, but it is based on the real history of the National Memorial African Bookstore, which Lewis H. Michaux opened in Harlem in 1932.  The store remained in business until 1974.

While I enjoy reading books about bookstores, I enjoy visiting real bookstores even more.   I urge all my fellow bookstore lovers to participate in the Greater Charlotte Book Crawl.  It has just been around for three years, but it has already established itself as a Storied Charlotte tradition. 

I always read Charlotte Lit’s weekly newsletter, and that’s where I saw an announcement about their upcoming “spring writing and nature retreat.” It aroused my curiosity.  I have long been familiar with Charlotte Lit’s many writing classes and workshops, but I had no idea that Charlotte Lit also runs writing retreats. Intrigued, I contacted Kathie Collins, the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Charlotte Lit, and I asked her for more information about this retreat.  In response, she sent me the following piece, which she has titled “Seeking the Poetry in Nature.”

Mark, thanks so much for asking about Charlotte Lit’s upcoming two-day writing retreat. This is our first out-of-town offering since before the pandemic, and I’m excited to be able to host the event at my farm in East Bend, NC, an easy 90-minute drive from Charlotte. The focus of the weekend will be on deepening our writing practices by reconnecting with the natural world. I’ve listed event details below, but I wanted to first offer some background on the genesis of the venue—which is also my home.

Almost three years ago, a life-long friend, who happens to work in real estate, took me out to celebrate my 56^th birthday. While we sipped prosecco and munched crackers slathered with crab dip, her phone pinged relentlessly with inquiries about a property she’d just listed. After the fifth or sixth interruption, I asked to see photos—an act of idle curiosity, or so I thought.

I wasn’t in the market for a move, much less the purchase of a 32-acre farm in Yadkin County, NC. Or, I should say, my rational, goal-oriented, ego-bound personality, the part of me that usually runs the show, wasn’t in the market. Some other less conscious and apparently far more powerful parts must have been waiting a long time for such a left-field opportunity; before I could blink, much less think, they had my Jane Doe forged on a purchase contract with a closing date less than two months away.

To say this decision surprised my family and friends is an understatement. I astonished myself, which is something I don’t do very much. I do, however, try to stay in close communication with my inner world and the often-competing demands of the archetypal forces who make up that rich and varied continent. But, like everyone, I can get stuck in my head. So, the inner council gathered (without Ego) and ruled that a radical reconnection with the natural world was critical. I’d say I had no choice, but the truth is I’ve learned to trust this kind of deep knowing. Weirdly, the more out of leftfield a hit is, the fiercer its mandate, the more sure I am of its authenticity and rightness.

The fully-connected me, what C. G. Jung calls the “Self,” knew writer me needed to sink her feet into pasture grass, plant fields full of flowers, follow a trail through the woods and down to the river to watch the bald eagles build up their nest. Capital S-Self said, “Go, build a retreat; invite other writers to come and play.” And, so, I did.

Which brings us to today: Over the last three years, and with lots of help, I’ve renovated the property’s 1883 farmhouse, added gardens and two miles of hiking trails, and built a labyrinth on the property’s highest point. I call this place Innisfree after W.B. Yeats’ famous poem (with thanks to Erin Belieu for the suggestion). One day there’ll be classroom space and a lodge for hosting overnight guests, but the land is waiting—it always has been––and it’s calling your name.

Please join me and fellow guides Jessica Jacobs, CJ Lawing, and Rose McLarney May 18-19 for a weekend of retreat and recreation in beautiful Yadkin Valley. Together, we’ll learn to watch more closely and listen more deeply to what plants, animals, rocks, soil, and wind are showing and telling us. Through reading, writing, and wandering, we’ll wonder about the connections between nature’s lessons and the spiritual teachings found in religious texts. And we’ll practice listening for the soul’s deepest longings. You’ll return home with some nature-inspired writing, a clearer head, and a deeper connection to those wise, though oft-neglected, inner voices.

Saturday, May 18: The Natural & Spiritual

Join poets Jessica Jacobs and Rose McLarney for craft lessons focused on natural and spiritual explorations in poetry. We’ll discuss how to delve into texts such as the Torah and New Testament that may seem not only sacred but inaccessible and inviolate. And we’ll consider how to write about animals and other elements of the more-than-human world, trying to move beyond anthropomorphism by accepting the responsibilities and powers of our human perspectives. Activities will include discussion of exemplary poems and generative exercises. Expect to leave with the drafts of potential new poems and/or short prose.

Sunday, May 19: Landscape as Self

Join landscape designer & spiritual director CJ Lawing and poet & Charlotte Lit co-founder/creative director Kathie Collins for a day spent awakening our creative imaginations through deep reflection on the landscapes that stir and speak to our hearts. Through guided meditation, conversation, writing prompts, mindful wandering, and playful fashioning of found objects into symbols of Self, we’ll discover how our inner and outer worlds mirror one another and practice drawing creative inspiration from the relationship between the two.

Registration details and lodging suggestions: https://www.charlottelit.org/retreat/

I thank Kathie for the information about Charlotte Lit’s writing and nature retreat and for sharing the story of her deep connections to her farm in East Bend.  I love the name East Bend.  It reminds me of a book that I read as a boy titled The Owl Hoots Twice at Catfish Bend by Ben Lucien Burman.  Burman’s novel is set on the banks of the Mississippi River, and it celebrates the natural world.  Toward the beginning of the book, Doc Raccoon, the book’s narrator, recounts, “It was a day in June, one of those wonderful days when it’s good to be alive.  I was lying on my back near the big live oak tree where I stayed, looking up at the clouds passing by, and the giggly rabbit was doing the same.  And Judge Black, the blacksnake, was sitting in the sun near me, giving advice to some young raccoons that I’d invited to the Bend for a visit.” 

I wouldn’t have to tweak this passage too much to make it apply to Kathie’s retreat.  I would have to switch the place name from Catfish Bend to East Bend and switch the month from June to May.  However, I am sure all the folks whom Kathie has “invited to the Bend for a visit” will have “one of these wonderful days when it’s good to be alive.”

A week or two ago, I contacted Tameka Fryer Brown, a Charlotte children’s author whose books include That Flag, Not Done Yet: Shirley Chisholm’s Fight for Change, and Brown Baby Lullaby, and I asked her if she would be willing to send me a few paragraphs about how she incorporates Black history in her books for children. I was thinking that I would feature her response in a blog post related to Black History Month. She responded by asking if I would be open to her “talking about how children’s books that center on Black culture … are important to share with all children?” Of course, I said yes.  A few days later, she sent me the following commentary:

Did you know there are designated themes for Black History Month? Each year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History encourages a particular area of focus for celebrating the myriad contributions to society made by Black people, both in the past as well as the present. From the ASALH website:

“When Carter G. Woodson established Negro History week in 1926, he realized the importance of providing a theme to focus the attention of the public. The intention has never been to dictate or limit the exploration of the Black experience, but to bring to the public’s attention important developments that merit emphasis.

“For those interested in the study of identity and ideology, an exploration of ASALH’s Black History themes is itself instructive. Over the years, the themes reflect changes in how people of African descent in the United States have viewed themselves, the influence of social movements on racial ideologies, and the aspirations of the Black community.”

This year’s BHM theme is African Americans and the Arts. As a literary artist whose medium is children’s books, I, of course, am overjoyed! Today, there are many titles available for kids and young adults by Black authors and illustrators, about the creative contributions Black people have made throughout history—not only in literature, but also in the visual and performing arts, culinary arts, architecture, fashion, film, music, and more.

We who have been educated in the United States know that during Black History Month, an emphasis on slavery and Jim Crow has typically governed the narratives presented to our children, assuming any observance is held at all. Providing such a limited perspective on the Black experience can foster a very narrow and pitiable view of Black lives, Black history, and by extension, Black destiny. This is harmful for all our kids.

Does our nation’s history include vile and heart-rending stories of suffering for Black people? Absolutely. And it is important not to shy away from those truths in our educational system. Those truths are a part of American history and should be shared throughout the year as such. But when it comes to “celebrating” Black History Month, we must focus on more than Black suffering. There are many celebratory aspects of our history, culture, and traditions that can be shared. This year, I pray those of us who have children in our lives will expose them to more than the usual tales of oppression and overcoming. Let’s be intentional about adding more stories of Black innovation, imagination, creativity, and joy to our children’s literary diets…not only in February, but in every other month as well.

For more information about Tameka and her books, please click on the following link:  https://tamekafryerbrown.com/

In her email message to me, Tameka added, “Thanks for sharing your platform.”  Well, as I see it, the thanks should go to Tameka for sharing her thoughts on the importance of celebrating Black culture throughout the year and for providing the children of Storied Charlotte and beyond with inspiring and joyful books.