Jerry Wemple

Artemas and Ark Jerry Wemple

Described as "gothic landscape writing," this series of poems tells the tale of two generations who suffer losses yet strive to maintain in their world as best they can despite dwindling odds. The collection is set against the backdrop of a small town along a river in the Ridge and Valley portion of Pennsylvania, a landscape that, due to the peculiarities of its geography, can isolate a town and its people. The collection also situates it characters in time, place, and tone through its use of popular songs of the day, ranging from those by Webb Pierce to Bruce Springsteen. The Catholicism and other cultural markers also play a significant role in the book. Part mystery and part coming of age story, the poems in this collection construct of modern-day myth, cumulatively telling a narrative that is both particular and universal.