Memory Wing

by Bill Lavender

A memoir in verse that explores the outer reaches of truth: of memory, language and art. Loosely based on the tripartite structure of The Divine Comedy, this poem appears as a simple memoir in lyrical and immediately accessible language, yet it works by accumulation to question the very fact of memory and the foundations of truth and identity. This is a poem that reads as easily as a memoir but which is as dense with allusion as one of The Cantos. As Andrei Codrescu has said of it: "This is a grand American long poem Doc Williams would be proud of."

219 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Bill Lavender is a poet, novelist, musician, carpenter and publisher living in New Orleans. He is the author of more than a dozen books of poetry—most recently, city of god—and a novel trilogy, Three Letters. He is also the publisher at Lavender Ink/Diálogos. His poems, stories and essays have appeared in dozens of print and web journals and anthologies, with theoretical writings appearing in Contemporary Literature and Poetics Today, among others.

His ground-breaking verse memoir, Memory Wing, dubbed by Rodger Kamentetz "a contemporary autobiographical masterpiece," was published by Black Widow in 2011. His novel, Q, a neo-picaresque view of the surreal world of the future, appeared from Trembling Pillow in 2013. A chapbook, surrealism, was published in 2016 by Lavender Ink. His Amazon author page lists most of his books.

Read an interview with Bill about his poetics and about the press at Jacket2.

He is the co-founder, with Megan Burns of Trembling Pillow Press, of the New Orleans Poetry Festival.

Reviews

[Jeannette Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this memoir/poem/novel of Bill's life and times. I know him, so this filled in some of the blanks about his past without me interviewing/interrogating/stalking him. His memory is very good for someone who has lived through the 60s (better than mine). Although the writing is in stanzas, it is very easy to follow.

[Geoff Munsterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memory Wing is a master work.

[Geoff Wyss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Thanks to Chris Shipman for the recommendation.