We asked Philadelphia Poet Laureate and 2013 Pew Fellow Frank Sherlock what it’s like to speak on behalf of others, but he corrected us: “Other people are speaking, and I’m just paying attention sometimes.”
Primarily self-taught, Sherlock has studied at Temple University, and he counts years-long correspondences with poets Cid Corman and John Taggart as important parts of his literary education. He considers himself a literary cartographer, with past works that delve deeply into implications of place and event. The City Real & Imagined (Factory School, 2010), written with 2011 Pew Fellow CAConrad, is an ode to the public spaces of Philadelphia, while Ready-to-Eat Individual (Lavender Ink, 2008), co-authored in New Orleans with poet Brett Evans, serves as witness to the city’s efforts to heal after Hurricane Katrina. Other books include Over Here (Factory School, 2009) and Space Between These Lines Not Dedicated (ixnay press, 2014).
