Poets in Conversation: Lee Stockdale and Andrew K. Clark

Poets Lee Stockdale and Andrew K. Clark will visit City Lights Bookstore on Saturday, October 29th at 3 p.m. They will mostly discuss  Gorilla, a collection of poetry about Stockdale’s journey as a suicide survivor. The genesis of this collection comes from an interesting place. Stockdale’s father was a close friend of John F. Kennedy; he even served as ambassador to Ireland for the Kennedy administration.  A week after Kennedy’s assassination, Stockdale’s father took his own life. Stockdale’s connection to his father led him to believe he, too, should meet a similar fate. While driving cabs in New York City, a chance meeting with Jackie Kennedy led to a new resolve. He returned to college, joined the Army as a private, spent 30 years in the Army, and retired as Command Judge Advocate, US Army Human Resources Command. A prize-winning poet, Stockdale received his MFA through the GI Bill from Queens University, Charlotte.

Andrew K. Clark is the author of Jesus in the Trailer. His work has appeared in Out of Anonymity - The UCLA Writing Project, The Journal of American Poetry, Appalachian Review, and others. He lives in Asheville, NC.

Please call City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC, at 828-586-9499 to reserve copies of Gorilla and Jesus in the Trailer.