Book launching at Thorne's Marketplace's Booklink

Wally Swist's forthcoming book of poetry, entitled "Luminous Dream," that was chosen as a Finalist in the 2010 FutureCycle Poetry Book Award, will be honored by a book launching, sponsored by Booklink Booksellers, located in Thorne's Marketplace on Main Street in Northampton, MA, on Thursday, 7 October, at 7:00 p.m.

"Luminous Dream" collects fifty-one

love poems. Of the book, Leslea Newman, Poet Laureate of Northampton from 2008-2010, and author of "Nobody's Mother" and "Still Life with Buddy," among many other titles, describes the poems in "Luminous Dream" with enthusiasm:

"What a gorgeous books this is! Wally Swist writes of passionate love with a quiet grace that stirred this reader's heart. Each individual poem moved me deeply; as a whole, "Luminous Dream" simply knocked me out. Shades of Pablo Neruda, Mary Oliver, and Gary Snyder abound, yet the poet's voice is uniquely his own. This is a book I will return to again and again with deep pleasure."

The book launching will include a short reading from the book and a book signing by the author. The time for the event is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m., and will last until 8:15 p.m., which is when Booklink Booksellers closes on Thursday evenings.

"Luminous Dream" will be published as a quality trade paperback, with a panoramic cover design by Diane Kistner and art by Joshua Havens, reproduced from a photograph of his, entitled "Morning on the River." The book paginates at seventy-eight pages. It is the seventeenth collection of poetry Wally Swist has published in his writing career, including full-length books, such as "Luminous Dream," as well as letterpress limited editions, such as the recent "Mount Toby Poems" published by Timberline Press in 2009.

The book launching is open to the general public and admission is free. Copies of "Luminous Dream" will be available to purchase at $14.99, not including tax.