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"Holmward Bound - An Evening With Bill Holm" is the first time that Minnesota
author/ essayist/ poet Bill Holm has been available on audio. A collection
gleaned from Holm's personal appearances at bookstores and cafes in the
Twin Cities area during the winter of 2000-2001, the audio collection
features Holm reading from his latest book, "Eccentric Islands," as well
as original poems, some singing, some of his masterful, playful, ragtime
piano performances and even a recipe.
One of the Midwest's favorite authors, Holm is known for his insightful
comments on society and his warm and compelling tales of the people he's
met, the travels he's taken. Whether it's his old piano teacher, a crusty
ship's radio man on board the Bakkafoss freighter bound for Iceland,
or a colorful character from his hometown of Minneota, Minnesota, Holm
weaves words that bring people to life.
Fans who've heard Holm live know what this big, booming bard of the prairie
can do with a story. For those who haven't yet made it to a live performance,
"Holmward Bound" delivers a substantial sample of Holm the author, poet,
teacher and musician in action. New and unpublished poems such as "Hallelujah
at the Sioux Falls Airport" and "Without TV" and rousing stride piano
performances of Artie Mathews' Ragtime Nightingale and Jelly Roll
Morton's Grandpa's Spells round out this high-spirited night with
Mr. Holm.
Bill Holm's books include "The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth" (Milkweed
Editions, 1996/2000 Reissue), "Eccentric Islands: Travels Real and Imaginary,"
(Milkweed Editions 2000), "Coming Home Crazy: An Alphabet of China Essays
(Milkweed Editions, 1990/2000 Reissue), "Boxelder Bug Variations: A Meditation
on an Idea in Language and Music" (Milkweed Editions, 1985), and "The Dead
Get By with Everything" (Milkweed Editions, 1991).
A native of western Minnesota,
Holm returned to Minneota while he was in his 40s, and writes –everything
in longhand – from the old family house. He teaches at Southwest State University
in Marshall, Minn. (enjoying his first semester of "phased retirement" this
winter), and spends his summers in a cottage in his ancestral home of Iceland.
He is currently at work on a prose book on what the world looks like through
the windows of Brimness and is finishing a book of poems, many about music
and travel. He recently finished recording the unabridged versions of his
latest books "Eccentric Islands" and "Faces of Christmas Past" with Essay
Audio in St. Paul, MN. |
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