Gravedigger's Birthday: Poems by BJ Ward

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 70 pages
• Published by: North Atlantic Books August 15, 2002
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1556434227
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1556434228
• Book Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.2 inches
• Weighs: 4.2 ounces

Product Review
"BJ Ward writes noisy, aggressive, lovely poems full of heart and brawn. Gravedigger's Birthday is a pleasure."
—Stephen Dobyns, author of The Porcupine's Kisses

Product Description
"In poems that both honor and transcend his blue-collar roots, BJ Ward blends poignancy and humor with downright good storytelling, and takes his place among the bright up-and-coming voices of his generation."
—Stephen Dunn, Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

Reader Reviews
As an aspiring poet myself, I'm proud to be from New Jersey, which has a rich heritage of fine poets, from Walt Whitman to recent Pultizer-Prize winner Paul Muldoon. And there's this guy, who's blown me away every time I've heard him read his works. I've also had the pleasure of taking one of his workshops. BJ Ward writes about life from an everyguy, working-class perpsective, but with a wonderful command of language, humor and pathos. His poems range from near-heartbreaking reminiscences of a hard childhood, to poems of driving, singing along to Roy Orbison or spotting a groundhog beside the highway. These are highly accessible, but expertly crafted works, and I highly recommend this volume as well as his previous one, "17 Love Poems with No Despair". If you like Billy Collins, you'll love BJ Ward!