When poet, author and musician Keith Flynn created and published the first Asheville Poetry Review in 1994, it was to capture what he observed as a literary renaissance taking place in the mountains. “I thought maybe I’d get one or two issues published,” he recalls.
On Wednesday, April 23, at 6 p.m. at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, Flynn will celebrate the release of the annual publication’s 30th anniversary issue.
Recognized as one of the best internationally read literary journals published in America, Asheville Poetry Review has published over 1,900 new and established writers from 22 countries. While it has a website (avl.mx/eq4), Flynn is firmly committed to the print edition, supported by subscriptions and newsstand sales in the U.S. and Europe.
The anniversary issue, a 372-page overview of the journal’s publishing history, coincides with the review’s announcement of its 2024 William Matthews Poetry Prize recipients. The top three, in descending order, are Mary Makofske, for her poem, Sex, That Peacock; Paul Alexander for Only in Darkness Can You See the Stars; and Craig Van Rooyen for Daylight Savings Poem. Makofske and Alexander will read from their works at the Malaprops event. Flynn, the evening’s host, will also read.
Register for the event at avl.mx/eq5.
