Diane Jarvenpa has long been a favorite poet of mine, ever since reading her first book, Divining the Landscape. Like many of us she leads several lives: poet, parent, Finnish folk singer. Ok, that last role is, admittedly, rather unique and remarkable and something she does under the stage name, Diane Jarvi.
Ten years ago, in 2005, I printed her chapbook Ancient Wonders: The Modern World. This modest chap, six poems and six matching illustrations by Sheralyn Barnes, sold out faster than any chapbook the press has published, with the possible exception of Superman: The Chapbook by Dorianne Laux. Because copies are no longer available, I thought I’d try scanning the pages and constructing a digital facsimile as small compensation for the vast majority unfortunate enough to miss the original print version.
About a year ago, Diane recorded Ancient Wonders and allowed me to make an experimental digital version. The result of that experiment is an ebook with embedded audio and is available only for iBooks.
And if you’d like to own a print version of the poem sequence, it’s included in her full length collection, The Tender, Wild Things (New River Press, 2007). Highly recommended.
Red Dragonfly Press 