Bøger af Kevin Rabas

PRAISE FOR *ELIOT'S VIOLIN*: "Kevin Rabas continues to poetically explore what it means to have wonder in the world with his collection. He explores childhood, children growing up, growing old, and the power we each have in whatever station in life we find ourselves. Kevin's poems about his son show how magic can be found in a bowstring or a cellphone: 'blue and white fire / in one cupped palm.' Also poems about Kevin's own childhood and formative years convey the magic and tragedy of what being human means, surrounded by 'the shadows of bullies right outside.' Just as his poem "Kansas City" explains, 'That kid. He does us good.'" Dennis Etzel Jr. ** Note: Despite what is listed below, this title is published by Oil Hill Press (El Dorado, KS), John Jenkinson, editor. **

In Watch Your Head 2, Kevin Rabas offers more of his poetry of self care while recovering from a brain injury. Even as the poems are older, the reader can still trace back to how they are Kevin Rabas reflections on life, class, position: "I think of the men / I could have been- / if my mother had not / led me to the water's edge / of books." Also in this collection, Rabas shares his playwriting. Just as his poems reflect a Midwestern deep life, his plays do, too. His wit and charm shine, like in "Lemonade." While the conversation between a young man getting a haircut and the stylist turns to Jazz, she asks if Charlie Parker, Miles, Coltrane, Keith Jarrett are any good. His response: "Let me tell ya, they make Kenny G look like Fabio just holding a horn." As a long time Kevin Rabas fan, I love this rich volume of poems written two decades ago that still holds up today. If you are new to his writing, Watch Your Head 2 is just a great introduction to it as any of his collected books.-Dennis Etzel Jr., Everything is Ephemera Take a twenty-year step back - a transformative time for Kevin Rabas. Between a head injury, divorce, friends parting ways, and meeting the love of his life, these poems bring the reader through some of the deepest introspection and observation we have seen from Rabas yet. Some of these poems emanate a warm light and tickle of romance, bravery and confidence-the curiosities of young adulthood. Other poems are reminders that even when all seems lost, we can use our poetic voice to find the way home. -Linzi Garcia, Thank YouI wrote these poems in 1999 and 2000, while I was going through a divorce and recovering from a head injury. (I was in a pick up basketball game and got knocked down.) I was also unemployed and living with my parents again. With the help of Linzi Garcia, I excavated these poems and revised them. They have a kind of simple, raw power, so I wanted to share them with others. This book also includes a handful of plays I wrote from 1996-2009. The plays seem to follow and speak to the themes and subjects of these poems. Also, they share many of the same characters. In terms of time, there is overlap with when many of the poems were written. They're from roughly the same period in my life. I hope you enjoy reading these plays, and I hope a few theatre companies take them on and produce them. (If I can, I will come watch.) These are my first plays. It was curious revisiting this material, which is a sequel to my earlier book which covers some of this same ground, Watch Your Head. Many thanks to Curtis Becker, who selected, edited, and published both books. These poems were written in Shawnee and Manhattan, Kansas, as well as in Kansas City; Plainfield, Vermont; Yonkers and New York City; and at Yellowstone National Park. I traveled about more back then. Was sometimes rootless. -Kevin Rabas, 29 January 2020, 9 am, Emporia, Kansas

From Eat Fast: My father, who brought home good money from his job at the site, kept us well fed, told us to get "desk jobs," urged us to "study up," fattened, lost his mind slumped in blue TV light. Retired, he tried keeping bees, keeping chickens, growing tomatoes, collecting antique crocks. But in the end, he ate chips. His face placid, the light left his eyes/irises, two blue tubes. He walked slow. His speech slurred. He'd shake your hand and say he loved you. But nothing, nothing held."There is something of the kernel of reminiscence in Kevin Rabas's work, a sense that for all its artfulness, the poems are the purest distillation of memory and feeling. At its heart, this collection pays homage not just to a particular feisty father, but to all fathers that we love in their peculiarities and imperfections. The writing is deft and observant, with an understated humor and warmth. At the same time, it is a celebration of 'the lick and needle of fire, song, ' that is, to the making of music. Through Rabas's words, we are welcomed to an insider's view of a drummer's realm, where we learn of the timekeeper's measured ticks and splintered drumsticks." -- Donald Levering, author of Coltrane's God"Kevin Rabas creates poems and stories that lay bare the soul of this poet, musician, husband, father, and son. His words are visceral and true, deeply personal, and ultimately universal. Songs for My Father is his bravest collection to date, as he explores the complex, occasionally contentious, but always loving, relationship between father and son. Rabas's poems hum with the spirit and tempo you would expect from this noted jazz drummer. If you have a father or you are a music lover or you quest after the truth, you will savor Rabas's latest offering." -Michael D. Graves, author of To Leave a Shadow

Kansas Poet Laureate (2017-2019), Kevin Rabas teaches at Emporia State University, where he leads the poetry and playwriting tracks and chairs the Department of English, Modern Languages, and Journalism. He has ten books, including Lisa's Flying Electric Piano, a Kansas Notable Book and Nelson Poetry Book Award winner, and All That Jazz.