Karl Elder will appear at Devaney, Doak & Garrett Booksellers Friday evening.
FARMINGTON – Karl Elder will read from his poetry collection at 7 p.m. Friday, April 16, at Devaney, Doak & Garrett Booksellers. The reading is free and open to the public, and will be followed by an informal reception.

“A ain’t just for applesauce,” begins Elder’s 26-line poem, “Original Sin.” The first letter of each succeeding line follows the alphabet through to the concluding Zeus.

Elder is the author of five volumes of poetry, most recently, “The Geocryptogrammatist’s Pocket Compendium of the United States.” He is a frequent contributor to the Beloit Poetry Journal, an internationally known magazine that now makes its home in Farmington. Eight of Elder’s poems from Beloit’s winter issue were featured last month on Poetry Daily, the most visited poetry site on the Web.

“We’re so happy to host Elder’s reading,” says Lee Sharkey, who along with John Rosenwald edits the Poetry Journal. “He’s a mathemagician of a poet whose sharp cultural commentary flashes out from formal structures he creates to challenge himself and the reader. He’s also a marvelous performer. I hope that poetry lovers in the area – anyone fascinated by language, for that matter – will take advantage of Elder’s visit to Farmington to stock up on verbal delight.”

For more information about the reading, phone 778-0020.