Publisher Description

Guard the Mysteries is a compendium of five talks that the poet Cedar Sigo presented for the Bagley Wright Lecture series. Retracing the ways in which he first encountered the realm of poetry, Sigo plumbs the particulars of modern critique, identity politics, early influences, and poetic form to produce a singular 'autobiography of voice.' Across these lectures, Sigo explores his childhood on the Suquamish Reservation, while paying homage to revolutionary artists, teachers, and thinkers whom have shaped his poetic aesthetic. Simultaneously timeless and extremely timely, these talks ponder the presences that California Buddhism, LGBTQ+ experiences, and Native Nations occupy in the poetic world and the world at large.

Author Biography

Cedar Sigo was raised on the Suquamish Reservation in the Pacific Northwest and studied at The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at the Naropa Institute. He is the author of eight books and pamphlets of poetry, including Language Arts (Wave Books, 2014), Stranger in Town (City Lights, 2010), Expensive Magic (House Press, 2008), and two editions of Selected Writings (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2003 and 2005). He has taught workshops at St. Mary's College, Naropa University and University Press Books. He is currently a mentor in the low residency MFA program at The Institute of American Indian Arts. He lives in Lofall, Washington.

Review

"Picture a lover's bedroom, sexily yet maddeningly littered with cigarettes and crumpled clothes, half-drunk coffee, wine glasses with lipstick around the rim, piles of papers, etc. A view of the mountains, or Paris, through the open window. The chaos is exciting, slightly overwhelming, and arousing. Being inside Language Arts is like this."--Ansley Clark, The Volta

Promotional

• Digital galley and print review copy mailings to major book reviews, literary journals, and library buyers' guides.
• Author interview pitches.
• Social media campaign.
• Outreach to independent booksellers.
• Outreach to poetry and related literary organizations.
• Publicity and promotion in conjunction with the author events.
• Display at conferences and bookfairs.
• Co-op available

Long Description

Guard the Mysteries is a compendium of five talks that the poet Cedar Sigo presented for the Bagley Wright Lecture series. Retracing the ways in which he first encountered the realm of poetry, Sigo plumbs the particulars of modern critique, identity politics, early influences, and poetic form to produce a singular 'autobiography of voice.' Across these lectures, Sigo explores his childhood on the Suquamish Reservation, while paying homage to revolutionary artists, teachers, and thinkers whom have shaped his poetic aesthetic. Simultaneously timeless and extremely timely, these talks ponder the presences that California Buddhism, LGBTQ+ experiences, and Native Nations occupy in the poetic world and the world at large.

Description for Sales People

This is the fourth book in the Bagley Wright Lecture Series and will further articulate the series' diverse approaches to poetics. The last two works in the series--by Terrance Hayes and Dorothea Lasky--are gaining more and more visibility and praise. The Hayes was positively reviewed in the New York Times and the Lasky got a glowing review in the Rumpus. This book draws autobiographical information into a bigger conversation about poetic aesthetics and their influences, with particular attention to LGBTQ+ and Native Nations voices. Cedar Sigo is an established poet, with eight books and pamphlets of poetry. His book Language Arts (Wave, 2014), received positive praise from Publishers Weekly, who called it "arresting." Sigo is a Native American and gay poet, and we expect that this book will particularly interest both communities. However, these lectures will be of interest to a general audience interested in poetics as well. We expect that this book will be very good among scholars, and course adoption in particular Cedar has a forthcoming book of poetry from Wave expected in Fall 2021 In 1995 Cedar Sigo was awarded a scholarship to study writing and poetics at The Naropa Institute in Boulder Colorado where he studied with Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, Lisa Jarnot, Alice Notley, and Joanne Kyger, among other poets. Sigo has lived in San Francisco since 1999 and is active in the poetry scene there, which is one of the most vibrant in the country.

Details