A Little Light from the Borders

Poems after Ezra Pound

Edited by Jeff Grieneisen and Rhett Forman

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On the evening of June 28, 2023, Poundian poets convened in a well-lit room of the University of Edinburgh, midway between the opening session of the XXX Ezra Pound International Conference and the winding bus ride to Loch Ness. Rain drops glided along the large widows as one poet after another recited original verse in celebration of Ezra Pound’s legacy and influence. We gather in this volume not only the poems from those who read that evening but also work from poets who usually join us but were unable to make the journey. Our objective has been to present this volume to Mary de Rachewiltz and her family in honor of her father and on the occasion of her 100th birthday at the XXXI Ezra Pound International Conference at her home in Brunnenburg.

We selected the title, A Little Light from the Borders, from Canto 92. Light appears in the title of Pound’s first book, A Lume Spento, and reappears frequently in his work as a symbol of truth, hope, and life. As you read the volume, let each poem be a ray of light, emanating from poets who crossed many borders to attend the conference and contribute their work here. Let the book be “a ball of light” in your hand that “lead[s] back to splendour” (116/817).

About the Editors

Jeff Grieneisen is the author of two books of poetry: Good Sumacs (MAMMOTH Books, 2010) and The Language of Phosphorescence (Lavender Ink, 2024). He is a professor of literature and creative writing at State College of Florida and part time professor of writing and literature at Ringling College of Art and Design. He acts as liaison between the Ezra Pound Society and Northeast Modern Language Association and serves as president of The Imagist Society (imagistsociety.org).

Rhett Forman lives on the staked plains of Texas where he is Assistant Professor at Tarleton State University. He is a 2025 Best of the Net, Pushcart Prize, and Best New Poets nominee. His poetry, scholarship, and translations have most recently appeared in Apple Valley Review, Spoon River Poetry Review, West Branch, Midwest Quarterly, Ezra Pound and the Spanish World (Clemson), and T. S. Eliot: The Rose Garden and After (Routledge).

Introduction
Mary de Rachewiltz
Silvia Falsaperla
Rhett Forman
John Gery
Jeff Grieneisen
Chengru He 何琤茹
Justin Kishbaugh
Tony Lopez
Mary Maxwell
Matz McLaughlin
Biljana D. Obradović
Kenji Miyazawa translated by Hidetoshi Tomiyama and Michael Pronko
Stephen Romer
Ron Smith