W.S. Merwin United States Poet Laureate

On July 1, 2010, the Library of Congress appointed W.S. Merwin Poet Laureate. Copper Canyon Press is proud to have published poetry, prose, and translations by W.S. Merwin over the course of his storied career. His most recent collection, The Shadow of Sirius, won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Read sample poems and reviews here.

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Matthew Zapruder

Excerpt from "20 Poems for Noelle"

Dream of climbing a hill,
and wake to everything
telling a story. Grief
a black shoe, or
a yellow leaf stuck
to it moving through
the city. The city
an empty envelope filling
with news. The day
a golden city changing
very slightly the name
of its hospital. The feeling
twilight fills everyone
and still beautiful they look
up the skirt of the
night sky. The name
that means little caress
I fell asleep in. Yes
Noelle that's what they
call multiple starlings.