The Poetry of Ralph L. Kinsey: A Rediscovery

The purpose of this collection is to reissue the poetry of Ralph L. Kinsey (1912-1982), a noted and accomplished American poet whose work has been unjustly neglected since his death. In the decade between 1954 and 1965, Kinsey produced four books of poetry. His first collection, Sand against the Wind, won the Durham Chapbook Award at the University of New Hampshire Writers' Conference in 1953. The 36-page chapbook was issued in an edition of 350 copies by the American Weave Press in Cleveland, Ohio. An 80-page hardback volume with 53 poems, The Pageless Air, a Book Club for Poetry selection, was released by the Golden Quill Press in 1959. A chapbook entitled The Mouth of Sarah was published by the American Weave Press in 1963 in an edition of 500 copies. Two hundred copies of a 20-page chapbook, The Last Straw, were distributed by the Hors Commerce Press in Torrance, California in 1965. This collection contains all the poetry in Ralph L. Kinsey's books along with five poems published in newspapers and periodicals. Jim C. Meador, in his preface, evokes the life of Ralph L. Kinsey, whom he knew personally for many years. In his introduction, Ronald W. Kenyon discusses and analyzes some of Kinsey's poetry.