Liberty’s Vigil, The Occupy Anthology:

99 Poets among the 99%

Ninety-nine poets from 22 states and 6 countries speak out on behalf of the 99%, encouraging their fellow citizens to join in the effort to end corporate excess and income inequality, and win back the middle-class from corporate titans and their political puppets.

Co-editors Karla Linn Merrifield and Dwain Wilder have assembled the first anthology of its type in the world to inspire readers to take action on behalf of the 99%.

“Poets here have left their quiet corners and hit the streets to encourage their neighbors to address the needs of the homeless…to fight side by side with besieged homeowners who are facing foreclosure…to eliminate corporate “personhood” and inordinate corporate influence on Capital Hill. We want readers to learn; we want them to act,” said Merrifield, author of six books of poetry.

In a similar vein, co-editor Dwain Wilder remarked, “I have very much enjoyed having a part to play in this collection’s coming together. It is to be hoped that this will not be just a poetic artifact of historic interest (which I certainly hope it will!), but that it will also be the start of yet another breath taken by Americans on their long, vigilant road toward fully realizing our national dream of freedom, liberty and justice for all.”

An historic book

Contributing poet Chris Crittenden of Lubec, ME, remarked on the historical nature of the anthology, saying: “The Wall Street debacle of 2008 is the blow that broke the weakened backbone of American supremacy. Ninety-nine voices within these hand-sewn pages capture the outrage, shame and anguish of a vast potential squandered. They embody the wounded consciousness of a fractured and dismayed citizenry, and their howls, laments, and torn dithyrambs shall fascinate historians a thousand years from now as much as they stab us today.”

Diverse Voices, Diverse Styles

“Poetry wields a special force in the Occupy movement. It is a medium that comes from the deep roots of our subconscious, in a myriad of styles, to focus attention on social injustice and political tyranny. Occupy poetry gives voice to the voiceless and unites the movement with a river of words and a fire of images. That is, ‘a posse ad esse’…from possibility to actuality,” says contributing poet Devreaux Baker. And myriad is a key word.

Humor and rage, compassion and irony and so much more! Liberty’s Vigil, The Occupy Anthology may have a single unifying theme, but its poets represent a wide range of viewpoints and styles. You’ll find in the book’s pages distinguished poetic masters such as William Heyen and Francisco X. Alarcón as well as poets just launching their careers. And, the 99 poets’ styles range from free verse to tanka to villanelle to sestina to…. Here’s Elizabeth Bodien‘s contribution:

Tanka: as winter bites

as winter bites

the fraying jacket rips

how to mend?

a few own all the needles, thread

the rest only their voices

And here’s an excerpt from Bill Dorris’s “The EU Commissions a Group Portrait by Van Gogh:”

We want something that captures the essential humanity

of a high-yield market,

that shows the lives we have previously revoked

are merely subject to default….

A complete list of contributors follows along with the co-editors bios.

Follow Liberty’s Vigil Online

It’s easy to keep up with Liberty’s Vigil and its activist poets. News of readings held by contributors will be posted on the FootHills Publishing web site (www.foothillspublishing.com.) as well as on Liberty’s Vigil group wall page on Facebook.

Sales to Support Income Equality

FootHills is contributing 20 percent of proceeds from sales of Liberty’s Vigil to the Occupy Movement. For details, please contact the publisher.

Available Now

Liberty’s Vigil, The Occupy Anthology: 99 Poets among the 99% (128 pages) is available for $20.00 at selected bookstores nationwide – ISBN 978-0-931053-81-8 — and from FootHills Publishing at www.foothillspublishing.com. FootHills Publishing, celebrating its 26th anniversary this year, is headquartered in Wheeler Hill, N.Y. Michael Czarnecki, publisher, is available at (607) 566-3881.