Fortune

by Garrett Buhl Robinson

Garrett Buhl Robinson’s 5th book of poetry is a combination of new poems and two libretti. The 16 new poems touch upon a variety of subjects. “The Way You Say” is inspired by his principal muse – performance dance. There is also a sonnet on Albert Einstein’s famous equation from his theory of special “E=mc²”, an equation Mr. Robinson finds to be an exquisite poem within itself. Other poems are inspired by various people and their work ranging from the poet’s personal friends to Dr. Ruth Westheimer. The collection opens with the eponymous villanelle, “Fortune”. Inspired by the success of his solo musical, Letters to Zoey, Mr. Robinson composed two new libretti included in the publication. The first libretto, Discounter, presents a mattress sales person who demonstrates his pizzazz on the showroom floor while comically stumbling on some issues of moral ambiguity. The second libretto, On the Stage of Every Day, presents a homeless, poetic street vendor interacting with the public in the frenzy of New York City.

Genres: Poetry

114 pages, Paperback

Published April 25, 2017

About the author

On a cold February night in 1992, Garrett Buhl Robinson jumped on a coal train and embarked on a journey across North America. Over the span of a year, he hitchhiked the highways, rode the rails on freight trains and hiked 800 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Eventually, Garrett settled in Portland, Oregon where he completed his first novel in 2000. Upon finishing the novel and unsuccessfully marketing the book, he left for Alaska to work at a salmon cannery to pay the debts he had accumulated with various book clubs. His cherished volumes of Proust's In Search of Lost Time put him over the edge financially, but he never hesitates to endure hardship for the sake of beauty.

After two summers in Alaska, Garrett moved to San Francisco where he composed two collections of poetry. One of these collections is illustrated with his own abstract vignettes. He also completed his second novel, Zoë.

In 2011, Garrett moved to New York City to further his literary career. While supporting himself at various jobs, Garrett composed his third novel, Nunatak, based on his experiences working in Alaska, and a book length poem, Martha, celebrating his love for performance dance.

In 2012, he began marketing his books directly to the public. In Midtown Manhattan, along 5th Avenue, he is frequently found reciting his poetry and singing from his musical.

After publishing two more collections of poetry, flowing stone and Broken Open, Garrett made his Off-Broadway debut performing his musical, Letters to Zoey, at Theatre Row in New York City. The musical is his adaptation of his second novel, Zoë.