#robert pinsky

Milestone Monday: Robert Pinsky’s Birthday!

Today we celebrate the poet Robert Pinsky, who was born in Long Branch, New Jersey on October 20th, 1940. Pinsky has served as U.S. Poet Laureate three times, and has taught in the graduate writing program at Boston University since 1989.

The images are taken from two fine press editions of Pinsky’s work. The first, ABC, a brief and subtle abecedarian poem, was designed and printed in a limited edition of ten by Caryl Seidenberg of the Vixen Press in Winnetka, IL in 2003. Also by Seidenberg and Vixen Press is 1998’s The Rhyme of Reb Nachman, printed in an edition of 125. In her colophon to the latter text, Seidenberg explains that the book is “set in 16 point Eusebius, lightly spiced with Andromaque,” with Arches Cover paper, and handmade Nepalese Lokta endpapers. The Campbell-Logan Bindery bound the edition.

In an author’s note, Pinsky divulges that he invented Reb Nachman in order to impress two fellow poets, Gail Mazur and Lloyd Schwartz, and suggests that the poem is therefore, “is a kind of translation with no original.”

See other beautiful artist books of Robert Pinsky’s poetry.

Hear Robert Pinsky describe his process.

Watch Caryl Seidenberg discuss printing.

See more Milestone Monday posts!

--Amanda, Special Collections Graduate Intern