Larry Eby's Post-Apocalyptic Collection of Poems Paints a Picture

Held in the Kellogg Room at the Norman F. Feldheym Central Library, poet Larry Eby read a selection of poems from his latest book Flight of August. To open the afternoon, Aaron Reeder, a fellow poet, came up and read some of his current works. Next Isabel Quintero-Flores, who organized the event, spoke a little bit about Eby, telling of his humbling nature as well as give a little about his current collection of work. Winner of the 2013 Louise Bogan Award from Trio House Press, Eby's Flight of August is a collection of poems centered during a post-apocalyptic world. To Eby, the book is not a narrative, but a singular poem broken up into parts. As the poem moves forward it flashes to images of a haunting time where the world is broken and uncertain. "I focused on the remnants of people in a post-apocalyptic space," Eby shared. After the reading, the audience had a short Q&A with the featured poets. Eby was asked about his process when deciding what details to provide within a poem, to which he replied that he wanted it more of a collage of stories interjected where you learn certain parts of the characters and then as the poem progresses, gets more information or a different perspective to the overall picture within this world. When asked about future works and projects Reeder stated that the poems he read were part of a collection that he completed and is currently looking to get published. To cap off the evening, the audience was given the opportunity to speak personally with Eby and Reeder as well as get their copy of Flight of August signed by the poet. Eby's Flight of August can be found at online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Nobles.