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Gravedigger's Birthday: Poems
"In poems that both honor and transcend his blue-collar roots, BJ Ward blends poignancy and humor with downright good storytelling, and takes his place among the bright up-and-coming voices of his generation."
—Stephen Dunn, Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
—Stephen Dunn, Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
- GenresPoetry
80 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2002
17 people want to read
About the author
B.J. Ward
8 books19 followersBJ Wards most recent book of poetry, Gravediggers Birthday, was a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize. His two earlier volumes are 17 Love Poems with No Despair and Landing in New Jersey with Soft Hands. All three volumes are published by North Atlantic Books (Berkeley, CA).
Mr. Wards poetry has been featured on Poetry Daily, National Public Radios The Writers Almanac, and New Jersey Networks State of the Arts, as well as in publications such as The Pushcart Prize Anthology, Poetry, TriQuarterly, The Literary Review, Painted Bride Quarterly, The Sun, and a host of other journals. His essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Worcester Review, and Teaching Artist Journal. He is the recipient of two Distinguished Artist Fellowships from the NJ State Council on the Arts. In 2002, one of his poems (For the Children of the World Trade Center Victims) was cast in bronze and acquired as part of the permanent collection at Grounds for Sculpture, an outdoor sculpture museum in Hamilton, New Jersey. He lives with his wife and son in Changewater, NJ, and teaches in the Creative Writing program at Warren County Community College.
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Mr. Wards poetry has been featured on Poetry Daily, National Public Radios The Writers Almanac, and New Jersey Networks State of the Arts, as well as in publications such as The Pushcart Prize Anthology, Poetry, TriQuarterly, The Literary Review, Painted Bride Quarterly, The Sun, and a host of other journals. His essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Worcester Review, and Teaching Artist Journal. He is the recipient of two Distinguished Artist Fellowships from the NJ State Council on the Arts. In 2002, one of his poems (For the Children of the World Trade Center Victims) was cast in bronze and acquired as part of the permanent collection at Grounds for Sculpture, an outdoor sculpture museum in Hamilton, New Jersey. He lives with his wife and son in Changewater, NJ, and teaches in the Creative Writing program at Warren County Community College.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 25, 2016
I am siked to find more...
January 21, 2019
Gravedigger's Birthday is a volume of deeply personal poems from poet and educator BJ Ward, who explores his blue collar-roots, his childhood and family life, and other personal experiences that witness the growth and development of a human existence. Both playful and powerful, Ward's verse never fails to leave an impression.
Personal favorites in this collection include:
The Star-Ledger
Gravedigger's Birthday
Daily Grind
Reloading the Stapler
My Mother's Last Cigarette
Sex with Emily Dickinson
Personal favorites in this collection include:
The Star-Ledger
Gravedigger's Birthday
Daily Grind
Reloading the Stapler
My Mother's Last Cigarette
Sex with Emily Dickinson
April 28, 2012
This book of poetry combines elegant, precise poetry with gritty content -- engaging the heart and head equally, as all good poetry should.
January 17, 2012
There are a few poems here that really got my dog-ears!
April 17, 2017
An uneven collection with really bad margins. Poetry is not meant to be crammed onto the page.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews