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Joan Colby

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Member Since

March 2010

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My newest book is in essence my oldest book, in that it includes poems from all my previous books. With the exception of "Dead Horses" which was published in 2012, the earlier books stem from the late 70's--mid 80's, so it is exciting to think they may find a new audience.

Why such a time gap? Although I have continued through the years to write and publish poems in journals, in 1983 I took a job a Read more of this blog post »

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Published on June 18, 2013 16:17

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Joan Colby’s books

Average rating: 4.66 · 158 ratings · 57 reviews · 48 distinct works

	Joan Colby: Selected Poems 4.65 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dead Horses 4.57 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Joyriding to Nightfall 4.57 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2019 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bittersweet it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ribcage 4.80 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Broke 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Atrocity Book: Poems it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Salt Widow it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2020 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How the Sky Begins to Fall 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wingback Chair 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Joan is Currently Reading

Joan Colby is currently reading

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

by Patrick Radden Keefe

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Jul 11, 2020 12:55PM

Joan’s Quotes

“Cast a cold eye
on life, on death
Horseman pass by”
― W.E. Yeats

21 likes

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
― Edmund Burke

tags: evil

2948 likes

“Never apologize, never explain - didn't we always say that? Well, I haven't and I don't.”
― Marianne Faithfull

19 likes

“Poetry is what gets lost in translation.”
― Robert Frost

tags: poetry

2492 likes

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”
― Mary Oliver

tags: poetry

9260 likes

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¡ POETRY ! — 22615 members — last activity Nov 19, 2025 04:25PM
No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read it!) Goodreads honors wordsmiths: poets and poetry promoted and prompted here. ~~~ "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits." -- Carl Sandburg “God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer.” —Anne Sexton On Clouds – “…what primitive tastes the ancients must have had if their poets were inspired by those absurd, untidy clumps of mist, idiotically jostling one another about…” —Yevgeny Zamyatin “If the poet wants to be a poet, the poet must force the poet to revise. If the poet doesn’t wish to revise, let the poet abandon poetry and take up stamp-collecting or real estate.” —Donald Hall “Poetry is a rich, full-bodied whistle, cracked ice crunching in pails, the night that numbs the leaf, the duel of two nightingales, the sweet pea that has run wild, Creation’s tears in shoulder blades.” —Boris Pasternak “Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket.” —Charles Simic “Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.” —Gustave Flaubert “Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does.” —Allen Ginsberg. ~~~~~ Amy King, Moderator Amy King is the recipient of the 2015 Winner of the WNBA Award (Women’s National Book Association). Her latest collection, The Missing Museum, is a winner of the 2015 Tarpaulin Sky Book Prize. She serves on the executive board of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts and is co-editing with Heidi Lynn Staples the anthology, Big Energy Poets of the Anthropocene: When Ecopoets Think Climate Change. She is also co-editing the anthology, Bettering American Poetry 2015, and is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College. ...more

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A forum for friendly discussion of classics, literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry and short stories. We also love movies and art. Don't ask to join th ...more

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Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more

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ALL GENRE COMMUNITY OF BOOK LOVERS-Perfect for those interested in good books of any genre, film and lively discussion!- from current fiction, thrille ...more

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Let's talk about poetry books. This group's members read poetry collections, with the goal of reviewing twenty in a year. C'mon. Do it. It's good for ...more

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it is an organization that helps raise money for cancer.

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...June 18, 2013 to July 18, 2013... My books, my poems, anything to do with writing.

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This group is for people who want to be challenged to read 50 books in one year. Start the challenge by creating a post with the title of your chall ...more

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Are you the author of a weird book? Are you enjoying a weird book that you'd like to tell others about? Are you an actual weird book that has somehow ...more

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Joan’s Friend Comments

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message 3: by Poppy

Apr 18, 2020 06:04AM

Oh Joan! I loved The Closets. Much as I knew about being loved, I couldn't bear to see those empty shoes, those bodyless shirts and pants, those indications of life - when my heart and head were already filled with hours and days of his face, his voice, his funniness, his intelligence, his warmth, his reality. So thanks.

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message 2: by Joan

Jul 17, 2019 12:54PM

Hi Poppy,

I heard you are having computer/goodreads problems. Hope they get solved AS=
AP. Of course, you should be among my friends--let me check and fix whateve=
r the glitch is. I also hope you are feeling well and keeping busy. Things =
are tough here, with Alan's health--recurrent sepsis infections that put hi=
m in the hospital and then having daily infusions for weeks as an out-patie=
nt. It is hard on him and depresses him to realize how much strength he has=
lost. I know you understand.
Love,Joan

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message 1: by Poppy

Jul 17, 2019 12:29PM

Hey Joan! I loved your recent poem SHALLOW WELLS, but I couldn't find a way to comment there - so here I am inside your profile! Hey, I didn't find myself among your friends. Please put me there!!!

Poppy

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