Allen Planz former poetry editor of The Nation, sea captain and teacher, as well as author of several volumes of poetry including Dune Heath published by Canio´s Editions, died on March 29, 2010 after a long illness. Here we offer an excerpt from "Osprey."

Osprey

. . . .

When a man dies, a bird is born

underwater,

only a wing at first

circling a tiderip,then faster

until it breaks free of the sea,

a fierce bird pursuing a cry into the northeast wind.

. . . .

~Allen Planz from Dune Heath published by Canio´s Editions

Memorial donations may be made to Allen´s grandson: Joshua Planz, PO Box 1557, Amagansett, NY 11930. A memorial poetry reading, organized by Paddy Noble, with be held on Sunday, May 23 at 2 p.m. at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton.

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Upcoming poetry readings:

Fri. Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. Poets Toni Mergentime Levi and Alexandra van de Kamp read from their work.

Illustrator signed copies available of Julie Andrews´ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies, with Emma Walton and illustrator Jim McMullan.

Congratulations to Mark Doty whose collection Fire to Fire received the National Book Award. Fire to Fire includes work from seven previous volumes plus exciting new poems.

Congratulations to Phil Schultz winner of the Pulitzer prize for his poetry collection Failure. We have signed copies available.

Collections: Browse our poetry wall comprising one of the most extensive collections. From Ai to Paul Zwieg -- from the obvious to the obscure -- you´re likely to find it on our shelves.

New titles: Pax Intrantibus: a Meditation on the Poetry of Thomas Merton by Frederick Smock. We carry The Paris Review plus of new titles from small presses and an eclectic assortment from the Everyman Pocket Poets series.

Poetry books for children, haiku, journals, and poetry on CD and audio tape. Collectibles: Browse our selection of fine used copies of out-of-print volumes: Silence in the Snowy Fields by Robert Bly; by John Ciardi, Person to Person; by John Hall Wheelock, The Gardener; Sweeney Astray by Seamus Heaney. Contact the shop to reserve.

More Poems! We are accepting short poems to appear on our poetry page. Limit one poem per submission per month. Maximum length: 15 lines. Haiku & sonnets would be ideal forms to consider. Please include a brief bio. 3 sentences are plenty! Deadline is 21st of the month. We look forward to hearing from you.

Scholarship Fund: In honor of our dear friend, the late Robert Long, author of DeKooning�s Bicycle and the poetry collection, Blue, published by Canio�s Editions, we have established the Robert Long Memorial Scholarship Fund. Awards were made in April 2008 to local high school students. We are now looking to give grants to working writers to complete a manuscript. Donations may be sent to East End Arts Council, Robert Long Fund, 331 East Main Street, Riverhead NY 11901.