City Lights Bookstore is in Sylva, North Carolina, a small Main Street town tucked in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. Our goal is to share the literature of the Southern Appalachian region with the world, and the world of books with our community.
Mary Adams defies classification as a poet. Yes, she is a formalist, one
of the best writing in America today, but she is also a poet of
surprising and sometimes disconcerting wit and erudition that give her
poetry a memorable texture. I have known Mary ever since she came to
teach in Western Carolina University's English department. She is one of
the most verbally gifted writers I've ever met, and I am always dazzled
by the way she makes language come alive. When Dana Gioia telephoned
her with the good news that she had just been awarded a National
Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry, we all celebrated. Mary is a
poet who deserves a much wider audience.
Mary's passion for poetry
is matched by her love of animals. She has worked for many years with
the Humane Society of Jackson County, rescuing numerous animals from the
local shelter and giving them a home until they can be placed with
permanent owners. She's a great saleswoman, too. I now have four dogs
that Mary told me we couldn't live without! She was right about that,
but I have drawn the line at four. She keeps trying to change my mind,
but so far she hasn't been successful. Maybe if she wrote a poem about
why I should add another dog to my life, well—maybe I would reconsider.
—Kathryn Stripling Byer
Mary Adams received degrees in creative writing from the U. of Iowa
Writers' Workshop and the University of Houston. Her honors include
grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment
for the Humanities, and the Cultural Arts Council of Houston. She lives
in the mountains with a few dozen pets. From N.C. Arts Council
Add any of the books on this page for your shopping cart - regardless of
the inventory status - and use the "Order Comments" field to let us
know how you would like your book(s) autographed and/or inscribed. Upon
receipt of your prepaid order, we will ask Dr. Adams to complete your
inscription request at her earliest convenience. As a hard-working
writer and professor, Dr. Adams has a busy schedule and may occasionally
require several weeks to complete a request. If you want a book that is
simply autographed rather than personally inscribed, we may well be
able to fill your order directly from our shelves within one or two
days.
