Poet David Kirby Named National Book Award Finalist

On October 10^th, 2007, the National Book Foundation announced the finalists for this year's awards competition. David Kirby's name was among those listed in the poetry section, for his volume of poetry entitled The House on Boulevard St.

To be named as a National Book Award Finalist is nothing short of a really, really big deal. When I was a Ph.D. student at Florida State University way back in 2001, I took a workshop class under Dr. Kirby-the title I have always used and will continue to use when referring to him. Even though I knew my days at FSU as a Ph.D. candidate were numbered, some of the best times I had while in Tallahassee were in the presence of the already very accomplished poet, and so I am both pleased and delighted that his poetry has continued to prosper, and that his hard work has been recognized by the National Book Foundation.

Kirby's poetry mimics something like wand movement. There seems to be a kind of meandering quality about it, as if the wand needs to wind itself up before casting its spell, and then ZING! readers arrive from point A to point B in a kind of dizzying euphoria as though they've been stung by the spell of a very powerful wizard. Reading his work, I am continually ZINGED, which is the highest form of praise I can offer.

The House on Boulevard St. is the latest in a long line of publications by Kirby. Other poetry collections include The Ha-Ha, I Think I Am Going To Call My Wife Paraguay: Selected Early Poems, The House of Blue Light, and Sarah Bernhardt's Leg: Poems.