PORT TOWNSEND — Copper Canyon Press will hold its annual holiday open house in Building 313 at Fort Worden State Park at 4:30 p.m. today.
The event is free and open to the public with finger food and holiday cheer.
“Our holiday open house is an annual highlight for us,” said Michael Wiegers, executive editor.
“We display hundreds of books and broadsides, throw open the doors, and then everyone talks poems and poetry.
“We love holding the event in our modest building.
“There’s something special about this place, how so many brilliant poets and so many great books have found a home here.”
Special guest poet Ed Skoog will read at 6:15 p.m.
Skoog, a former Bread Loaf Fellow and Writer-in-Residence at the Richard Hugo House, published his first book, Mister Skylight, with Copper Canyon Press in 2009.
Copper Canyon Press poets have received an array of awards throughout 2011.
Laura Kasischke’s Space, in Chains and Matthew Zapruder’s Come On All You Ghosts were featured on The New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2011 list.
In November, poet Sherwin Bitsui received a Lannan Literary Fellowship.
Jim Harrison’s new book, Songs of Unreason, has topped the Poetry Foundation’s Contemporary Poetry Best-Sellers list.
Harrison is joined on this list by several other Copper Canyon poets, including David Budbill, Dean Young and former U.S. Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin.