You May Have Already Sampled Faraway Tables

There’s a good chance you've already encountered a sample of Faraway Tables before the collection is even published.

That’s because more than 40 of the poems from the debut collection have been published in print and online literary journals. From the contemplative “Patience” in Main Street Rag to the playful defiance of “Social Media Boycott” in Mid-Atlantic Review; from the observational “Sissons” in North of Oxford to the longing “Water Fall Blues” in Gargoyle, these poems have cast a wide net.

Faraway Tables sets the table and brings them all together—along with even more not-yet-published poems—into a coherent collection.

Whether you've encountered these poems before or are preparing to discover them for the first time, make your reservation by pre-ordering your copy of Faraway Tables today.

Faraway Tables will be released on Tuesday, October 1 by Yorkshire Publishing. Learn more about the book, pre-order information, and news about the collection by staying tuned to this blog and at www.EricDGoodman.com.

Deanna Nikaido on Faraway Tables: “Condensed Journeys Reminding Us of What Shapes Us”

Deanna Nikaido knows how to write a poem—she wrote the book on it! She also knows how to read one.

Today's endorsement comes from Deanna Nikaido, whose works include How To Write a Poem, Voice Like Water, and Vibrating With Silence. Nikaido writes:

“If life is an invitation, poetry helps us to recall how we show up. These poems are condensed journeys reminding us of what shapes us and how each unique ingredient makes a poem of us.”

Faraway Tables will be released on Tuesday, October 1 by Yorkshire Publishing. Learn more about the book, pre-order information, and news about the collection by staying tuned to this blog and at www.EricDGoodman.com.

"Rug Pull" Published inThe Beatnik Cowboy

"Rug Pull," my recent poem,  has found its home in the digital pages of The Beatnik Cowboy, an online journal  that observes poetic injustice.

Anyone who has invested in questionable projects, whether in the stock market, crypto space, or in other marketplaces, will understand the bad flavor that can be left by blindly following emotiont and trusting a bad project. Unjust? Certainly for those swindled by scammers. 

Enjoy “Rug Pull” in The Beatnik Cowboy at the link below.

https://beatnikcowboy.com/2023/09/15/eric-d-goodman/

 

Faraway Tables Cover Reveal

 

It’s here! I'm pleased to reveal the cover for my debut collection, Faraway Tables.

The minimalist painting by Gene McCormick graces the front cover. True to his style and to the essence of my collection, the cover invites readers to join us at the table for a journey both introspective and global.

Published by Yorkshire Publishing and arriving on October 1, 2024, Faraway Tables is my first collection of poetry and my first collaboration with Gene McCormick, who has had his artwork grace the covers of other authors and poets, like Charles Rammeklamp.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates about Faraway Tables in the coming weeks, including pre-order information and launch celebration details. You can find it here at Writeful or at www.EricDGoodman.com.

Featured Reader at Manor Mill Fiction Series

This Monday I’m the featured reader at Manor Mill’s Writers Guild Prose Night. Join us on Monday, August 19 for an evening of poetry. After my reading and Q&A period, there is an opportunity for audience members to share their own work during open mic.

Past featured readers at Manor Mill's Writers Guild Prose Night have included Madison Smartt Bell, Jane Delury, Michelle Brafman, Katie Aiken Ritter, and Betsy Boyd.  

Manor Mill has become a creative hub, with classes and workshops from weaving to songwriting, leather bracelet making to mushroom cultivation. A fine arts gallery features three floors of art by juried, talented artists and the first floor has a small shop to buy extremely unique creations made onsite and locally. Yoga, meditation and wellness classes are available. Incredible musical performances fill many afternoons and nights in the loft, and woodworking, welding and turning keep the barn occupied. There’s something for everyone!

Hosted by local writer Susan Keatley, the Manor Mill Writers Guild Prose Night has featured such authors as Madison Smartt Bell, Betsy Boyd, and Jane Delury.Hope to see you there! Learn more at https://manor-mill.com/prose

 

Toby Devens on Faraway Tables: "A dazzling collection"

Poets and readers are starting to take their places at the table. Today’s advance praise of Faraway Tables comes from poet and author Toby Devens, known for My Best Mid-Life Crisis (Yet) and Barefoot Beach. Devens writes:

“Faraway Tables is a dazzling collection—a mixture of the mundane and the monumental that travels to marvelous times and places in the world and in the heart, with surprise detonated in many of the poem's last lines. Travel around the world with stops at enlightenment, enchantment, and memorable experience.”

Faraway Tables will be released on Tuesday, October 1 by Yorkshire Publishing. Learn more about the book, pre-order information, and news about the collection by staying tuned to this blog and at www.EricDGoodman.com.

Letting Characters Decide

 

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting regional author Alice McDermott several times over the years at various book festivals and literary events. During one of those events, she explained that although she writes fiction, she bases her fiction on experience. 

“Writers like to say that they write from their imagination because that sounds harder,” she said. She’s not literally writing about herself or her family, but she is writing from her experience, observations, and the world she knows. “Our thoughts come from our experience. The way we use words is part of our experience.”

McDermott said that she never writes from an outline or with a set destination in mind. She writes from the hearts and minds of her characters and allows them and their relationships to evolve and drive the story. “If I’m not surprised by what my characters are doing, I stop writing.”

An emotive writer approaches writing like a reader, wanting to be surprised. McDermott’s characters make choices based on who they are; the choices are not made by her as the author. She compares this method to the great clockmaker theory: the author creates the world and then leaves it up to the created to determine their destiny. But once it’s set in motion, the characters have to follow the established rules.

“When writing fiction, you’re constantly eliminating choices. As soon as you’ve written that first sentence, you’ve eliminated a million choices. Each sentence eliminates more.”

Alice McDermott has won the National Book Award and has been nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize. Her characters seem to be making good choices for her.

Learn more about Alice McDermott and her books at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7505.Alice_McDermott

Faraway Tables Cover Art Unveiled

 

As an art enthusiast, I’m excited to share the new painting by Gene McCormick which will grace the cover of my new poetry collection, Faraway Tables.

Gene McCormick’s original painting is titled "Faraway Tables," sharing the title of the book for which it was created. This 16" x 20" acrylic masterpiece sets the visual tone for the poems within the pages.

McCormick's signature style, known for uncovering hidden beauty in the ordinary, perfectly captures the essence of the collection. The artwork depicts a seemingly simple scene: two glasses, a little more than half empty, resting on a rustic beer-hall table. Yet, with each brushstroke, a deeper narrative unfolds.

McCormick reviewed the manuscript prior to painting and we discussed the concepts. The resulting minimalist piece beautifully complements the themes explored within Faraway Tables, creating a visual invitation for readers to take a seat at the table and dig in.

Stay tuned for more updates about Faraway Tables, including pre-order information and exciting launch celebration details. In the meantime, I invite you to contemplate the enigmatic scene on the cover and let your imagination wander towards the world that awaits within the poems.

Learn more about Gene McCormick and his artwork at http://donbob.com/GenePainting/GenePainting/PaintHome.htm.