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Indian Summer

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We are pleased to announce the release of our first book-length collection of poetry by an upstate poet. Read on to learn more.
Indian Summer   
Indian Summer - book cover image

 

 

poems by

Howard J. Kogan

 
ISBN: 978-0-9833897-3-6

124 pages, softcover

 

  ORDER ONLINE  

 

$12.95



 

 

 

Poetry Experiences an "Indian Summer" in Upstate New York

New book is first collection of poems for 2011 Poet Laureate

 

VOORHEESVILLE, NY - Square Circle Press announces the release of its first book-length collection of poems, Indian Summer. It is the first book for Upstate New York poet Howard J. Kogan, who earned top honors in one of the Capital Region's most respected poetry contests.

 

Howard J. Kogan began writing poetry in his twenties, but set it aside to pursue family life and a career. About his writing he says, "I returned to it in my sixties. I am grateful to have this opportunity to return to an early love. I think of it as my Indian summer, a season of sun and tranquility nestled between the foreshadowing of what is to come and its final arrival."

 

The social worker and psychotherapist lives with his wife Libby in the Taconic Mountains of New York State where he enjoys the rural life and writing. In 2010, Kogan submitted three poems to the 1st Annual Smith's Tavern Poet Laureate Contest, an event open to Capital Region poets, sponsored by the Sunday Four Poets and held each April at "Smitty's" Tavern in Voorheesville. His three poems, "Photograph," "Zamboni," and "Bailey at the Museum," earned him a third place Honorable Mention in the contest.

 

For Kogan's second attempt in 2011, he submitted "Three Jokes for Science," "Evolution," and "Winter Wren," which garnered him the crown of laurels and his name on the coveted trophy known affectionately as "The Willie," a table top-sized statue of William Shakespeare, permanently on display at Smitty's Tavern in the "Poet's Corner."

 

All six poems are included in Indian Summer, a collection of fifty-one poems now available from Square Circle Press. Kogan took advantage of the self-publishing services of the upstate company, about which he stated, "Working with Mr. Vang at Square Circle Press has been a delight. He produced a high-quality book for a fraction of the cost of better known publishing houses. And unlike the experience of many of my friends who have used other houses, he is available and committed to producing a book both you and he will be proud of."

 

Richard Vang, owner and publisher of the five-year-old Square Circle Press, commented that "Howard is a fine poet, and this collection is bound to have something appealing to everyone. His insights into literature, writing, childhood, nature, and the bigger questions of daily life and death, are at times thought-provoking, witty, and inspirational." About the self-publishing services of the company Vang added, "I was so pleased when Howard chose to work with Square Circle Press. Not every manuscript we receive fits neatly into our catalog focus, and the sometimes grueling traditional publishing route is not for everyone. But because we are smaller and can take advantage of today's various printing and marketing technologies, we can help self-publishers who want more control of their product to more easily launch their books onto a larger market."

 

Howard J. Kogan's next scheduled poetry reading will take place on October 15, 2011 at the Main Branch of the Albany Public Library, located at 161 Washington Avenue in Albany. He will take part in a Community of Writers Event sponsored by The Hudson Valley Writers Guild.

 

Indian Summer is available in paperback, and is for sale online at the publisher's web site and larger online retailers such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, as well as through local bookstores. 

  

Order online or Learn more about this book

 

 

Publisher's Notes

"Top Marks"

I first met Howard Kogan at the 1st Annual Smith's Tavern Poet Laureate Contest in 2010. I was fortunate enough to sit next to this quiet and unassuming man throughout the entire event. I was even more fortunate to hear him read his poetry. I was keeping track of poets and their poems, keeping score the way my Mom used to do when she watched the Miss America pageants on TV. I was sort of using this method as a benchmark on which to measure my own judgment of literary talent against the final decision of the judges. I was a little surprised at myself; I picked all three top finishers -- but I missed the placement. I had picked Howard to win -- and he placed third. Still, that didn't diminish my respect for him or his poetry. In my view, he is one of the finest poets working in the Capital Region today, and I was thrilled to learn he had won Poet Laureate honors in 2011. I was away at another book launch event that day and missed the contest, but I think I got a better deal when Howard presented me with his manuscript of poems. And now I'm thrilled to share them with you.

So, enjoy this great piece of work, and keep your eyes open for the 2011 edition of "Award-Winning Poems from the Smith's Tavern Poet Laureate Contest." It should be released later this Fall.

Thanks, as always, for your support.

Richard Vang
Square Circle Press LLC