Last summer, Mountain State Press announced the publication of My People Was Music, a stunning collaboration of poetry, photography and music/spoken word performances written and produced by Kirk Judd, one of West Virginia’s best known poets and literary personalities. The book contains 70 original poems by Judd, 11 beautiful photographs by Huntington photographer Dave Lambert, and 26 performances on compact disc featuring Kirk with well-known West Virginia musicians and artists. Included on the CD are The Bing Brothers, Danny Arthur, Dave Bing, Mike Bing, Tim Bing, Bob Shank, Pops Walker and Sherrell Wigal. The performances are recitations of the original poetry recorded live in the studio with musical accompaniment. One of the pieces is a dual-voice spoken word performance with Judd and Wigal. The CD was produced at Otter Slide Studio in Preston County, recorded and engineered by well-known musician Bob Shank. The book is an incredible collection of superbly crafted poetry as well as a celebration of West Virginia cultural heritage arts. Judd combines wonderfully written words and images of his beloved home state with just the right feel of the traditions of spoken word, song, storytelling and inspiration of the natural world of West Virginia. The collection spans 40 years of a life spent working in, living in, experiencing, and writing about this complex state. Judd expresses profound respect, mixed with sorrow, loss, renewal, joy and hope for this land. Linwood Community Library at Snowshoe is pleased to have Kirk Judd visit for a reading on June 23. There will be a potluck dinner at 6 p.m., with the reading beginning at 6:30 p.m. He will have copies of My People Was Music to sell and sign that evening. Kirk visited the McClintic Library last September, and I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed his performance. To call this a reading is rather a disservice; Kirk Judd performs. He lives and breathes his poetry, and you won’t want to miss this evening. Call the Linwood Library at 304-572-BOOK (2665) for more details.
