Benjamin’s new book.

Our friend Ben is sadly not referring to a newly discovered volume by our hero and blog mentor, Benjamin Franklin, or even a forthcoming book of my own. That’s the bad news. The good news is that our fellow blogger, Benjamin Vogt, is publishing a new poetry chapbook, Without Such Absence, on October 29. 

If you’re wondering why our friend Ben is posting about this now rather than in October, there’s more good news: Benjamin has a great offer for anyone who preorders the book by September 3, and he’s offering a giveaway of Without Such Absence on his blog, The Deep Middle (http://deepmiddle.blogspot.com/). You can read all about it and see sample poems on his post of Monday July 12, 2010, “Preorder my poetry chapbook now” (http://deepmiddle.blogspot.com/2010/07/preorder-my-poetry-chapbook-now.html).

While you’re over at The Deep Middle, our friend Ben suggests that you stay a while and see what else is going on. Benjamin is a gardener as well as a poet and professor. He’s transformed a standard Midwestern yard into a paradise for wildlife and for those of us who enjoy dropping by, even if our visits are virtual. And he always has something interesting—and often amusing—to say in his posts. Silence Dogood and I get a huge kick out of Benjamin and The Deep Middle. We know you’ll enjoy your visit and want to stop back often!