Poetry Book Footnote

Isolation has given me time to put some of my poems together. I’ve self-published My Name is Aram, Too through Schuler Books press in Grand Rapids!

The title is a reference to one of my favorite books of all time, My Name is Aram by William Saroyan. It’s a collection of short stories, not poems, and Saroyan set it in Fresno, CA, not mid-Michigan; I love his playful writing style and the Armenian community he created.

Here’s the cover that our niece, Megan, drew (the individual drawings refer to poems in the book):

Nice job, Megan!

It’s meant to look similar to title art Don Freeman created for William Saroyan’s book My Name is Aram:

If Freeman’s work looks familiar, he’s also the artist that drew the cover of the Corduroy books and Rainbow of My Own, among many others.

Here are some options if you want to get a book:

* It’s available online at the Schuler Books website.

* After Wednesday, Schuler Books in Okemos at the Meridian Mall will have copies available.

* I do believe in bartering, so if you want to stop by our house, I have copies. (close family and friends, please wait so I can give you a copy…I have many)

* If you are very patient, I will probably post a pdf of the book on this blog in a year or two.

4 thoughts on “Poetry Book Footnote

  1. I ordered it!
    🙂
    I love your poetry and I love that you are publishing your work.
    Poets support poets …
    Peace,
    Kevin

  2. Thank you, Kevin! I really appreciate the support.
    I can still remember when we met Billy Collins together in Philadelphia almost 11 years ago — talk about a booster shot of encouragement.
    And you remain so active in NWP, in the classroom, and on your website; more power to you!
    Aram

  3. Hi Aram. I am eager to read this book. Sayroyan is one of my favorite writers. I adore his short stories The Parsley Garden and Locomotive 38 – The Ojibway.
    I love your homage to his book and the cover art.

  4. Thanks, Toby, for your comments. While My Name is Aram is my favorite collection of Saroyan’s stories, I recently found his short stories in the book, Fresno Stories, to be amusing and insightful. I’ll be interested to know what you think about the book.

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