The show has been on WYSO since April 1993. Conrad retired from 30 years as a professor of English at Wittenberg University in 1991, but found that he missed sharing his love of poetry. An avid WYSO listener, Conrad, who resides in Springfield, made connections at the NPR station … and from there, a poetry icon was born.
Conrad has also been actively, but quietly, coordinating poetry events throughout the region all this time.
Now, a new poetry collection in Conrad’s honor is forthcoming from Main Street Rag Press. The collection is called “From the Tower.”
The title is inspired by a group he hosts at his home — a gathering of readers and writers, that meets every other week, called “The Tower.”
The group, explains member Stefan Broidy, is named for a literal tower that Conrad added to his home — a tower inspired by Conrad’s love of renowned Irish poet William Butler Yeats, who was inspired by and often wrote in a tower in Ballylee, Ireland.
“At one point, group members met up in the tower at Conrad’s home,” Stefan says. “Now there are too many of us!”
Stefan is the editor of “From the Tower.”
“I felt it was important that we find a way to honor Conrad and all that he’s done for poets,” Stefan explains. “A collection seemed quite appropriate. The collection contains the work of twenty-seven poets who have been, or currently are, active in the Tower group.” He notes that the poets represent an impressive range of publishing credentials, from literary magazines to their own collections—testament to the strong poetry culture of the Miami Valley.
Stefan himself just retired from Wittenberg this past August. He was a professor in the university’s Department of Education. He joined the university in 2001 after 26 years at Southwest Missouri State University, where he was Department Head of Secondary Education, Foundations and Educational Research. He is working on a scholarly book and also writes poetry.
“All the poets in the collection are so enthusiastic about doing this to honor Conrad,” Stefan says. “We are all so fond of Conrad and what he’s done for poetry in our area, and we want him to know he’s appreciated.”
The collection will launch in December 2016, but between now and then, interested readers can pre-order the collection directly for the pre-publication discounted price of $9 (the cover price is $15. Learn more at mainstreetragbookstore.com/?product=from-the-tower).
Poets included are:
• Anna Cates
• Barbara Singleton
• Cathy Essinger
• David Lee Garrison
• David Petreman
• Ed Davis
• Gary Mitchner
• Gary Pacernick
• Jim Brooks
• Joan Harris
• Judy A. Johnson
• Julie Moore
• Kathy Austin
• Lori Gravley
• Marietta Ball
• MJ White
• Myrna Stone
• Nicholas Crome
• Rita Coleman
• Robert Brimm
• Robert Paschell
• Ron Knipfer
• Sharon Luster
• Stella Ling
• Stefan Broidy
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