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Preface

A career as a university Americanist in my native UK, in the US, in Europe, and in Japan, and with a specialization in literature, has long meant academic writing: books, articles, reviews, the journals. Not the least of which is an earlier volume in Biblioteca Javier Coy d’Estudis Nord-Americans, United States: Re-Viewing American Multicultural Literature (2009). But it has also meant venturing into creative tracks. In this case, precisely, verse and vignette. Not only have I had the opportunity of much American travel, to include Canada and Mexico, but also the privilege of frequent writer encounters and friendships. These, for which I will always be grateful, have been an inspiration.

All of the collections (and journals) from which this poetry and prose is taken met with the good fortune to find publishers. I owe a debt of acknowledgement to each, especially Printed Matter Press, 2 Leaf Press, Renaissance Books, Konch Magazine and Phati’tude.

Each different composition, I hope, above all gives recognition to America, the Americas, as personally lived time and space. Site, journey, people, art, film, music, culture, society. They are meant as forms of close encounter. Serious and in some cases antic. Less myself than persona.

This is also the place to thank Carme Manuel as editor of the Javier Coy series. She was good enough to accept Americas: Verse and Vignette as a different kind of American Studies. I owe her greatly. So do the writings at hand.