April is national poetry month. Fittingly, a new book from collaborators Lib Ramos of Good Printed Things, a small-batch printer, and Glenis Redmond, Greenville’s first poet laureate, has just hit the bookshelves. The partnership began when Ramos was drawn in by Redmond’s Instagram posts that shared photos of her and her grandson, Julian, visiting a number of South Carolina’s state parks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pocket-sized collection, entitled The Song of Everything, contains almost 70 pages, with a poem for each park, and is the first single-author poetry work from Good Printed Things, although it’s Redmond’s seventh book. “We feel the small-sized publication is easier to get into. We hope that people who are outdoor enthusiasts and may not be typical poetry readers will pick it up. I would love it if it encouraged people to read poetry and go to state parks,” says Ramos.
Redmond is the recipient of a long list of prestigious awards. These poems explore the life-affirming connection between the outdoors and our internal landscape. “One of our first trips was to Paris Mountain, the same state park that my parents were not allowed to visit during their senior high school trip in 1954 because of South Carolina’s racial segregation laws. Now, it’s an opportunity to create new narratives that celebrate unity, inclusivity, and the remarkable wonders of the natural world. We embrace the past-present of our existence, using it as a catalyst for change and a reminder of the power of resilience and hope,” says Redmond.
The book will be available at Barnesandnoble.com, Walmart.com, national retailers, and independent bookstores across the country as well as at bookshop.org and goodprintedthings.com. The book retails for $12 and features an illustration by Alexander Rouse.
You can see Glenis Redmond and Lib Ramos
A launch event with Glenis Redmond and Lib Ramos will be held at M. Judson Booksellers on April 24th from 5:30 to 8:30pm. An event at Paris Mountain is also in the works.
State Secrets
- There are 47 state parks in South Carolina.
- There are 21 state parks less than two hours driving distance from Travelers Rest.
- Paris Mountain State Park is only five miles from downtown Greenville.
- An All-Park Passport is available for $99 and includes unlimited entry to all South Carolina State Parks for everyone in the vehicle. southcarolinaparks.com/park-passports
By The Numbers
According to the National Endowment for the Arts, the number of U.S adults who read poetry is around 12 percent.
This figure has doubled in five years and is thought to be approximately 28 million adults.
Social media is a big factor in the increase in poetry reading.
