Noted poet and author H. R. Coursen dies
Herbert Randolph Coursen was passionate about Shakespeare, poetry, sports, music and politics. They enlivened his conversation and defined his life. Coursen—a talented, brilliant, witty and sometimes irascible man—died December 3, in his sleep at his home in Brunswick, Maine.
H. R. Coursen was born in 1932 in Newark, N. J., attended Amherst College, where he was a member of Sphinx, the honor society, Wesleyan University, and the University of Connecticut, from which he received a Ph.D. in English. He taught at Newark Academy, the Choate School, Bowdoin College, where he was chairman of the English Department, Clemson University, Ohio University, The University of London, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, University of Maine at Augusta and Southern New Hampshire University.
A fighter pilot in the USAF during the 1950s, he was an early opponent of the war in Vietnam and one of the original members of Veterans for Peace.
Robert Chute of Poland Springs, noted poet and Bates Professor Emeritus of Biology, joined Coursen at local poetry readings. They were helpful to each other, as Robert explained: “I knew Herb as a fellow U.S. Air Force veteran in Veterans for Peace — his war Korea, mine, World War II. I knew him as a fellow poet, exchanging, without offense or favor, suggestions, edits, corrections. He was an insightful scholar and a writer of astounding diversity. His life, as are all lives, was many things, but much of it was Literature, with a capital L.”
Coursen leaves a plethora of writing—18 critical books on Shakespeare, 36 books of poetry, 25 novels, an eight-book fantasy series and seven classic stories adapted into modern verse. In 1996, a poll conducted by Penn State University named him one of the “25 Master Teachers of Shakespeare during the past one hundred years.” His “Mythos” was a Writer’s Digest finalist in 2001. He won the Motton Award from the New England Poetry Club in 1998 for best book of poems in the previous year and was given the Warren Award from the New England Poetry Club in 1992, 1995, 1997, 2000 and 2005 for best published poem of the previous year. He won the Maine Poets Society Award for best poem several times. He will be missed in the literary world of Maine and beyond.
Coursen was active in Maine’s poetry community, including the Maine Poetry Society, local poetry readings and slams and providing guidance to the Longfellow Days Committee. “Herb was indispensable to the Longfellow Days poetry readings at Curtis Library, and, before his death, had booked all the poets for the 2012 readings. He was planning to lead poetry workshops at Thornton Oaks, The Highlands and the Brunswick Inn at Park Row. These plans will be realized and a special tribute offered in his memory,” said Claudia Knox, member of the Longfellow Days Committee. Longfellow Days Chair, Maryli Tiemann said that she was overwhelmed by Coursen’s death, stating, “The entire Longfellow Days committee joins me in mourning the loss of Herb. For over seven years he has been OUR Longfellow poet.”
John Ambrose, a retired Bowdoin College professor, will miss his Sunday sports buddy. “Herb and I were close friends while colleagues on the Bowdoin College faculty. The friendship extended to the tennis courts where we often played together.” During the summer of 1977, Ambrose and Coursen won the town of Brunswick doubles tournament. Ambrose still has the trophy. “Herb was an excellent athlete; his tennis strokes were as precise as his quotations from Shakespeare.” During the fall they got together to watch the New York Giants Sunday football games, usually in Coursen's cozy TV room surrounded by souvenirs of bullfighting: posters, glasses and figurines added to his ever increasing collection of overlapping and stacked Shakespeare, sports and travel souvenirs.
“Herb was an absolutely devoted and knowledgeable Giants supporter. We talked about players, coaches, strategy, as we did every game. Herb's observations were often more incisive than even the game announcers! I'll never be able to watch a Giants game without thinking of Herb by my side to cheer or grouch with. As he liked to say, ‘Grouching is part of watching football!’"
Herb was a New York Giants fan—but larger than that—he was the ultimate sports fan. He knew the statistics for baseball, football, bull fighting and most other sports to the degree that one wonders how he found the time to write so prolifically. But he did write and his “October Saturday: 1949” headed an article “Seeing Daylight” in the January 10 issue of Sports Illustrated. "I'm probably the only poet who has had two poems in Sports Illustrated," he joked to a reporter in 2005.
Coursen’s writing also appeared on the editorial pages of nearly every publication in New England that accepted letters to the editor, including The Times Record, the New York Times and The Nation. His subjects were anti-war, social programs, education and the vulnerability of the electric delivery grid. His essays—what some would say were rants—pointed out the ever-widening gap between the rich and the rest. His clear evaluations of topics and ardent calls for action will be missed.
For many years, Coursen conducted a big band show for WYAR, Yarmouth, Maine, using his vast collection of records as the basis of the program. That ended at the beginning of the new century. Coursen collected hundreds of vinyl records, continuing to play them for his own enjoyment, sometimes playing along on his cornet.
The people who will miss Herb Coursen the most are his family. Speaking with his publisher in 2008, he agreed that his grandchildren brought out the best in him.
Just Write Books author featured
in The Times Record
Tom Seymour gives new meaning to... Eating Out
Readers who search through local bookstores for useful Maine-themed books would do well to consider Tom Seymour’s “Wild Plants of Maine: A Useful Guide and the Companion Forager’s Notebook” as well as “Hidden World Revealed.”...
Read the entire article by clicking here.
Wildness within Walking Distance
Robert M. Chute's latest poetry book Wildness within Walking Distance: Poland Spring Maine received a great review by Dana Wilde of the Bangor Daily News.
Read the article by clicking here.
Just Write Books Q&A in local paper
Just Write Books makes the front page of the business section of The Times Record.
Patrick Gabrion, of The Times Record, interviewed Nancy E. Randolph, publisher of Just Write Books. The short interview and a lengthy Question and Answer article were published in the business section of the Wednesday, March 30th edition.
Read the full article here.
Just Write Books garners reviews in the press
We feel very fortunate that several of our books have received recent and positive notice in the Maine Sunday Telegram and other media outlets. A sampling is below. Please read the full reviews by clicking on the highlighted text.
Coming Home: A Maine Mystery by Robert M. Chute
Wild Plants of Maine: A Useful Guide by Tom Seymour
Longfellow’s Evangeline: An Adaptation in Modern Verse by H.R. Coursen
The House at Bunganuc Landing by the late Susan Drinker Moran.
The Werewolves by H. R. Coursen review in the Kennebec Journal/Sun Journal (no link available)
Just Write Books in MPBN auction
A chance to get three Maine books for a discount and benefit the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. For friends from away or near at hand, here are thoughtful gift ideas. "Maine Seasons - in Picture and Verse" has photography by John Schwartz with poetry by H.R. Coursen. Tom Seymour's "Hidden World Revealed - Musings of a Maine Naturalist" reflects rural life and the sheer enjoyment of the natural environment and Maine's outdoors. “Wild Plants of Maine, A Useful Guide" presents edible and otherwise useful wild plants according to their appearance throughout the growing season featuring crisp, color photos of each plant, cooking methods, recipes, historical uses of the plants and also, the author’s favorite uses.Click Here to bid.
Maney the Sneezing Moose
at the Patten Free Library
(Bath) Reading and book signing events for Maney the Sneezing Moose by Roland Wallace are schedule for November 27 at 10:30 a.m. at Borders Books, 147 Bath Road, Cooks Corner, Brunswick and Dec. 3 at 10:30 a.m. in the Children’s Room at Patten Free Library, 33 Summer St., Bath.
A just-published book, Maney the Sneezing Moose, would be welcomed by parents looking for a large-print, easy-to-read book that has sensitivity and humor. Maney is prone to sneezing. The problem is, he lives in the Maine woods along the shores of Moosehead Lake and is allergic to ragweed, among other things. New friends stick with him through his quest to stop sneezing, and eventually they figure out how to help him.
Author Roland Wallace is a Bath resident and woodworker by trade. Illustrator Glenn Chadbourne of Newcastle, Maine, has worked with many Maine authors, including Stephen King.
The Spirit of Songo illustrates area history
BRUNSWICK — Poet Norma Kimball Salway will host a book signing and an author’s talk Saturday, Nov. 13. Her book of poems, The Spirit of Songo, relates the history and allure of Songo Pond and tells of her childhood and later life along the shores and in the water of the pond, which is near Bethel. A retired elementary teacher, Salway used poetry to introduce her students to the beauty and value of their surroundings and continued exploring her environment through poetry after her retirement. She lives year-round in the family home on Songo Pond.
At 10:30 a.m., Salway will be at Borders Books in Merrymeeting Plaza, 147 Bath Road, near Cooks Corner, to sign books and chat informally with readers. At 1 p.m., she will speak in the Seminar Room at Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant St.
The two events are presented by Just Write Books of Topsham. For more information, call 729-3600 or view the Web site www.jstwrite.com.
Tom Seymour visits Borders Books & Library
(Brunswick) Maine author Tom Seymour will be available to sign his latest book, Wild Plants of Maine: A Useful Guide at Borders Books at Cooks Corner (147 Bath Road) in Brunswick on Saturday, October 30, at 10:30 a.m. At 1 p.m., Seymour will discuss Wild Plants of Maine in the Seminar Room of the Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant Street, Brunswick.
Seymour, a freelance writer, author of numerous Falcon guides to outdoor and nature topics and long-time columnist and feature writer for The Maine Sportsman, has written Wild Plants of Maine, published by Just Write Books of Topsham. Seymour presents edible and otherwise useful wild plants according to their appearance throughout the growing season. The book features crisp, color photos of each plant, cooking methods, recipes, historical uses of the plants and also, the author’s favorite uses.
Also for Just Write Books, Seymour penned Hidden World Revealed. This collection of essays on rural living takes the reader through the four seasons in Maine from the perspective of one living in a secluded cottage. The book details the author’s relationship with the animals, plants, insects, sounds and scents that make up his world.
Maine Seasons sample book for Graph Expo
Lasermax Roll Systems, headquartered in Burlington, Mass., has selected Maine Seasons in Picture & Verse, with poetry by H.R. Coursen of Brunswick and photographs by John H. Schwartz of Freeport, to be featured as its sample product at the Graph Expo to be held in Chicago in October.
The 2010 Graph Expo will be the largest show of running of printing equipment held this year. A large portion of the exhibit space will be dedicated to digital printing, such as what is done by Lasermax, whose marketing manager Christopher Taylor commented on Maine Seasons:
“As a manufacturer of paper handling solutions for the digital print industry, what drew us to Maine Seasons in Picture & Verse is that the beautiful color photographs and black & white text alternate throughout, highlighting the flexibility and print quality of the inkjet printer being used to transform the digital file into a tangible book.”
Publisher Nancy Randolph of Just Write Books, who worked with Coursen and Schwartz, was delighted to hear that Maine Seasons was selected for the expo. “LasermaxRoll printer used by my printing company does a terrific job for my books, and I’m glad to be able to offer such high quality printing to my authors and their readers.” Just Write Books is a collaborative book publisher located in Topsham. Randolph can be contacted at 207-729-3600 or visit www.jstwrite.com.
Phu Bai offered as ebook
TOPSHAM, Maine — Just Write Books has gone electric and paperless.
Recently, the Topsham-based publisher began offering the suspense-mystery novel, Phu Bai, written by Maine author Paul Betit, as an E-Book on www.amazon.com.
“We thought we’d venture into the world of electronic publishing by offering a book with potential mass appeal,” said publisher Nancy Randolph. “Phu Bai fits the bill. It is a fast-paced mystery-suspense novel which readers often finish in one sitting.”
Started by Randolph in 2005, Just Write Books publishes Maine books collaboratively with Maine authors, including historical fiction, poet chapbooks, nonfiction and fiction.
Originally released in 2004 by a Michigan publisher, Phu Bai was re-released in 2006 by Just Write Books.
“I’m looking forward to broadening the audience for my books,” said Betit, an Augusta native. “I think publishing my work in an e-book format will make it easier and cheaper for people to purchase them.”
Phu Bai follows the adventures of United States Army Criminal Investigation Division investigator John Murphy as he tries solve the murder of a soldier at a U.S. military base in South Vietnam in 1967.
In the near future, Just Write Books plans to publish Kagnew Station, a sequel to Phu Bai set in Ethiopia in 1968, as an E-Book.
Currently, Betit, a sportswriter for the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram for the past 25 years, is working on The Man In The Canal, a third book in the series featuring Murphy set in Sweden in1971.
The House at Bunganuc Landing author dies
Brunswick - It is with deep sadness that we announce that Susan Drinker Moran died Sunday, August 1 in her sleep in her home. We at Just Write Books join her children, extended family and friends in mourning her loss. She was a great lady.
The House at Bunganuc Landing is local bestseller
BRUNSWICK – Brunswick bookstore, Gulf of Maine Books’ current best seller, The House at Bunganuc Landing by Susan Drinker Moran was featured at a book signing to be held at the Pejepscot Historical Society at 11 a.m. July 30. This year's annual Community Appreciation Day included the book signing, a used book sale on the lawn and an Open House that offers free admission to the Pejepscot Museum at 159 Park Row and the Joshua L. Chamberlain, 226 Maine St. The Skolfield-Whittier House is undergoing repair and will not be open.
Poet David Ferry reviewed Moran’s book and wrote: “This is a heartbreakingly beautiful book, the story of an old house across from a cove of Casco Bay, a prominent house in the tiny vulnerable courageous community of Bunganuc Landing, with all its changes of fortune, trading, fishing, shipbuilding, lumbering, its history precariously lived-out over the centuries.… All this in a beautiful but not easy, ever-changing environment of bay, and woods, and brook, and flowering fields, and snow, and storms, wonderfully described. In this book Susan Drinker Moran brings together her gifts as an historian and as a gifted teller of stories."
The House at Bunganuc Landing, published by Just Write Books of Topsham, is not just a story about an old house. It is also about its people. Robert C. Hunt, professor emeritus of Anthropology at Brandies University, writes: “This book is a moving account of how a couple faced and met the challenges of the end of life for one of them and is combined with a story of an old house in which they accomplished this difficult task.“
A writer and former history teacher, Moran grew up in the Boston/Cambridge area. She was educated at Smith College and at Case Western Reserve University where she received a master’s degree in history. While raising her five children, she taught college history. Moran was an active volunteer at a local shelter for homeless families and taught a correspondence course for prisoners.
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Maine Made
2008 Just Write Books was accepted
into the Made in Maine products program.
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