Ryan Van Winkle is quite the poetic presence online. While launching his first collection, he embarked on a'Virtual Book Tour' - in which he visited and, to a certain extent, occupied a number of blogs all over the world, such as Rob A. Mackenzie's 'Surroundings' blog, Molossus and the Scottish Book Trust.
Ryan Van Winkle has been many things: a knife salesman, political activist, kitchen porter and, most recently, Reader in Residence at the Scottish Poetry Library and Edinburgh City Libraries. While at The Scottish Poetry Library, he also produced a number of podcasts. To see the whole, mammoth impressive list of them, click here.
Below is a poem from him that appears on theSalt website
They Will Go On
The western horizon is still lightning blue.
To the east, everything is side-of-the-bridge grey.
I am patient as trees and flowers, desert cacti.
The grandkids hide inside with swollen eyes
and I want the rain to come quick, slap
their pale necks. I've counted the summers left
and the young should take this rain beside me
as I took father's wheat, corn, and whole bloody harvest.
I roll one more September cigarette,
Summer coughs her last cough ;
a dribble from which the children hide,
stay dry as rain loosens soil.
You can see some interviews with Ryan below.
If you would like to sign up to Ryan's course, 'Read Like a Writer, Write like a Reader', taking place in the Scottish Poetry library, click here, or give us a call on 0207 582 1679
