Larry Kimmel has been known primarily as a haikai-poet for
the past decade-and-a-half. As Denis Garrison says in his
article, The New Short Lyric, “[Kimmel is] a poet far along
in his journey with the new short lyric,” further pointing
out that in his recent collections, this hunger, tissue-thin
and Blue Night & the inadequacy of long-stemmed roses,
published by MET Press, that “one can find traditionally
framed poems in Eastern forms as well as poems that break
out of known molds and into new ground.” However, Kimmel has
also been writing free verse poetry in a variety of formats
and styles over the past 40 years.
Though there is a generous selection of haiku, tanka and
haibun, as well as the entirety of his cherita (a haiku/tanka
inspired form created by the London-based poet and editor,
ai li), which have earned him the appellation of a “seminal
east/west fusionist,” to be found here, there is also a
balance between his haikai inspired work and his free verse.
It is interesting to see how the poet's singular voice
threads it way through the very different forms, as Kimmel
develops from a mid-20th century free verse American poet
into his highly concise anecdotal and lyric cherita, often
telling a story in fewer than twenty words.
Here, in a volume of 258 pages, are the representative works
of a poet, culled from a career of four decades, showing a
vast diversity and range of interests, observations and
experiences.
Free Verse from
The
Piercing Blue of Sirius:
Once In A Parking Lot, Red Squirrel
About the Author
Larry Kimmel was born in Johnstown, PA. He holds degrees
from Oberlin Conservatory and Pittsburgh University, and has
worked at everything from steel mills to libraries. Now
self-employed, he lives with his wife in the hills of
western Massachusetts.
