If the Delta Was the Sea

About If the Delta Was the Sea "Dick Lourie has written a rich, spacious book. Observing the principles that 'we are all embedded in history' and that the individual 'contains multitudes,' these poems present a portrait of a place, Clarksdale, Mississippi, and its people, through a unique cultural and social perspective. Lourie has an impeccable ear for colloquial nuances and an acute eye for meaningful trivia. If the Delta Was the Sea is a genuine delight."--Ha Jin "Dick Lourie has something to say and he says it well. Here, in direct, clear, no-nonsense language, he tells the story of Clarksdale, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. The voices of the town ring true, from blues legend Robert Johnson to civil rights leader Aaron Henry to Lin 'Pap' Pang, an elder in the Chinese community, all presented with irony, humor and honest insight. This is a poet who fully understands the burdens and the blessings of history, and knows that there is much to celebrate in the spirit of the survivors."-Martín Espada

Dick Lourie is both a poet and a blues saxophone player. In 1997, the chance to perform at a festival with internationally renowned blues musician Big Jack Johnson led him to Johnson's home town of Clarksdale, Mississippi, historically a vital center of Delta blues. Since then, he has returned to Clarksdale every year, drawn as much by the history and culture of the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta area as by its music. Finding inspiration in Clarksdale and the Delta, If the Delta Was the Sea fuses Lourie's work as a poet and a musician.Over the past forty years his poems have appeared widely in such literary journals as ACM, Agni, The Arkansas Review, Exquisite Corpse, Lungfull!, The Massachusetts Review, Sun, Transfer, and Verse. Seven collections of his work have been published, from the Crossing Press and Unicorn Press, as well as Hanging Loose. Writing about Dick Lourie's poetry, Denise Levertov observed that his ôvoice speaks with a unique and convincing eloquence.ö In addition to playing with Big Jack Johnson, Lourie has appeared regularly with the late Weepin' Willie Robinson, Boston's ôElder Statesman of the Bluesö; the original G-Clefs, a rhythm and blues ôdoo wopö harmony group performing together since 1955; the Blue Suede Boppers, a '50s rock and roll band; and Johnny Carlevale's Jump Blues All-Stars. He has also recorded (at a Clarksdale studio) with rockabilly legend Sonny Burgess.Dick Lourie's most recent book is Ghost Radio, from Hanging Loose Press, along with a companion CD of poetry and blues, Ghost Radio Blues. He lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, and spends several weeks a year in Clarksdale.