By Dana Rapisardi
Reporter

WOOD-RIDGE (Dec. 27, 2007) — Wood-Ridge Memorial Library’s director, John Trause, has a new book of his own to add to his library’s shelves. Trause released his latest collection of poetry, entitled “Seriously Serial” on Dec. 3.

Library director at Wood-Ridge since 2000, Trause was serials and reference librarian at the Museum of Modern Art Library in the decade before. He is co-founder, with Rutherford Library director Jane Fisher, of the very popular poetry series, Second Wednesdays, which once a month presents readings by a featured poet, then opens the microphone to members of the audience who wish to read poems of their own. Trause is frequently a reader at this “open mic,” and reads at other venues in the area as well. Those who have heard one say Trause’s readings are lively, interesting and always entertaining.

“People have been clamoring for a book of my poetry,” Trause reported. “Well, it’s finally here.”

After being approached in May of this year by publisher Roxanne Hoffman, of Poets Wear Prada, a small press in Hoboken, Trause said serious work on the book’s publication started in September.

Trause wrote nothing new for this book, instead collecting poems he’s written over the past 10 years. All the poems in “Seriously Serial” are short and part of one series or another.

“They connect by their themes,” Trause explained.

“What I like about the book is it’s very dense,” he said. “Even though the poems are short, each one has multiple layers of meaning.”

Not only do the poems relate to each other, Trause went on to say, but different sections of the book have interconnections. “Even my biography connects with various aspects of the book,” he said. “The dedication has a hidden acrostic.”

The subject matter of the poems is not necessarily arcane, however. For example, one of the series concerns itself with women of particular notoriety, such as Patty Hearst and Abigail Folger.

“ ‘Daughters of the Revolution’ is a series of five poems about American heiresses gone bad or for whom something terrible has happened,” said Trause. “Each heiress corresponds to one of the four classical elements, earth, water, air, fire, and then the fifth essence, the quintessence, being ether,” he revealed, pointing out one of the “multiple layers of meaning,” mentioned above.

“That might not be that clear to anybody reading the book,” Trause advised.

Trause is also very active in the area art scene, not just the poetry circuit. He often collaborates with photographers and painters. His new book reflects that multi-media interest.

“My friend Jill Greenberg provided the front cover image, author photo and each series also has a heading with one of her photographs,” said Trause.

Photographer Greenberg has been participating in the “Accumulation Project,” an assignment where artists were asked to accumulate an object for a year, then make art of the resulting collection. Greenberg chose to accumulate soap slivers. A photo of a delicate mosaic of soap slivers adorns the cover of “Seriously Serial.”

“[Greenberg and I] have always wanted to work together,” said Trause. “The idea of accumulation is so connected to the idea of seriality. I think her work extends the vision of the book. It’s not just a book of poems at this point.”

“It looks like a traditional book but I pulled it together in a highly programmatic way,” Trause continued. “Everything has to do with everything else. There’s not a single word that’s not significant. There’s not a single decision that doesn’t reflect a lot of thought.”

Trause concluded by defining a poet as “someone who doesn’t necessarily write poetry, but who lives poetically, who sees the world in a really different way and wants to express that world.”

Those interested in looking at the world as Trause sees it can visit the Poets Wear Prada web site (www.poetswearpradanj.home.att. net) to learn a little more about the poet, get a glimpse of his book’s cover and read an excerpt, or purchase “Seriously Serial.”