Available July 2, 2024

American Analects
Poems by Gary Young

American Analects uses the Analects of Confucius as an inspiration to mediate upon the life, death, and the subsequent loss of the poet’s influential, beloved mentor—the painter Gene Holtan. These poems are juxtaposed with poems about other losses—of parents, of friends and friends of friends. Still, this is not a dour book. Many poems celebrate our ability to inspire, to comfort, and to nurture one another. In the end, American Analects is about resiliency, about moving on from personal loss, from the pandemic, and from catastrophic fires, to rejoice in what remains.

“There’s no word for what Young does, only for what he accomplishes—the capturing of small, daily miracles.” —Dorianne Laux

Gary Young is a poet, artist, and translator. He is author of numerous collections of poetry, limited edition letterpress books, and chapbooks. His many honors include the Shelley Memorial Award and the William Carlos Williams Award, both from the Poetry Society of America. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, and the Vogelstein Foundation, among others. His print work is represented in collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and The Getty Center for the Arts. He teaches creative writing and directs the Cowell Press at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Paperback / $17 (Can. $23) / ISBN 978-0-89255-592-5 / 80 pages / Poetry