January 2, 2017

‘Capitals: A Poetry Anthology’ of 185 cities

A report from the Asian American Press.

“Capitals: A Poetry Anthology,” a poetic examination of 185 cities by contributed work of 173 poets from all continents is now published by Bloomsbury in India.
“Capitals” underwent a three-year editing process by Abhay K, an Indian poet-diplomat and the author of two memoirs and five collections of poems. Contributing poets include Derek Walcott, Bryan Thao Worra, Mark Strand, Ruth Padel and George Szirtes among others.
The publishers describe it saying:
“A lyrical extravaganza, evocative of personal experiences and unique insights, Capitals embodies a medley of harmonious notes struck across the globe, resulting in the confluence of poignant imagery and soulful verse. A remarkable anthology to acquaint you intimately with the Capital cities of the world, it describes in exquisite detail their undulating terrains and pulsating lifelines and their cities beckon even the most seasoned traveler with promises of discovery. ”
Readers are invited to “embark on a journey like never before, as Kwame Dawes in his poem Green Boy takes you to a night in Accra when the crescendo of drums finally overcomes the gunshots, or accompany Mark Mcwatt as he drifts down memory lane in the suburbs of Georgetown and feel the raw emotion as Salah Al Hamdani laments of what has become of Baghdad. From Abuja to Zagreb, Seoul to Sucre, Ottawa to Wellington and Reykjavik to Cape Town, leave behind the trepidations of the unknown and the comforts of home, discard the frivolities of journeying to the physical façade of a beloved city—and set out to experience the world anew, for what this book offers you is a journey for the soul.”

A complete list of contributing poets at http://www.abhayk.com/p/global-poetry-project.html . It is “a kind of Poetry Atlas for the capital cities of the World,” according to the author.

CAPITALS be launched in New York on 5th January at the Poets House, at the Jaipur Literature Festival in India on Jan. 21, In Delhi at the India International Centre on Jan. 27, in London on Feb. 1 at B111 at SOAS, Brunei Gallery, University of London. at the International Poetry Festival, Granada, Nicaragua from Feb. 12-17 February 2017, and in Brasilia, Brazil in February, with further launches being announced in the future.

Abhay K received the SAARC Literary Award 2013 and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2013. His poems have appeared in over two dozen literary journals including Poetry Salzburg Review, Asia Literary Review, The Stony Thursday Book 2015, The Missing Slate, Eastlit, Gargoyle, The Caravan, Indian Literature among others and have been translated into Irish, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Slovenian, Portuguese, Mandarin and Nepali.

Abhay K’s most recent collection of poems is The Seduction of Delhi (Bloomsbury). His Earth Anthem has been translated into 28 languages. Readers can visit him online at http://www.abhayk.com.