New Chapbook Release – MY NATIONAL PARKS by Jacob Boyd (Foster-Stahl Chapbook Series) | Pre-order Today! Release Party: July 25 at Rozz-Tox!

“In My National Parks, Jacob Boyd guides us through unmarked territory in the same way he has ‘wandered deep into his own life as if looking for undiscovered gold.'” — Denton Loving, author of “Tamp”

The SPECTRA Reading Series will host the release party for a new chapbook published by The Midwest Writing Center’s publishing imprint, MWC Press: My National Parks by Jacob Boyd on Thursday, July 25 at Rozz-Tox (2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL). The book will be available for $10 at the event. Boyd’s book is the 2022 Selection for the Foster-Stahl Chapbook Series, which will open for submissions on September 1.

The event will start with at 7:00 p.m. with readings from staff from the Young Emerging Writers program, followed by a feature reading from Boyd, who will be followed by readings from the Young Emerging Writers interns. Event is free and open to the public, with a $5 suggested donation to support youth writing programs at MWC.

You can pre-order My National Parks from MWC Press — click here to order a copy today.

Author Bio:

JACOB BOYD teaches for the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. He is from Holt, Michigan. His other work can be found in Blackbird, Bracken, Cutleaf, On the Seawall, Poetry Daily, and more.


For press Inquiries, Please contact Ryan Collins, 309-732-7330, ryan.collins@mwcqc.org.

The Foster-Stahl Chapbook Series is supported by the MWC Legacy Society, the estates of Mary Foster and Richard “Dick” Stahl, the Scott County Regional Authority, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Advance Praise for Jacob Boyd’s MY NATIONAL PARKS

“In My National Parks, Jacob Boyd guides us through unmarked territory in the same way he has ‘wandered deep into his own life as if looking for undiscovered gold.’ These trails lead from the vastness of the national parks we know through the poet’s most intimate dreams. There are mountains and canyons, creeks and rivers, in both locales, but in Boyd’s work we also find the companionship of a patient woman and a good dog, phone calls from the dead and views of the universe through alien eyes. Within this unique geography, we find ourselves equidistant between the underworld and utopia. Within these poems, we find ourselves at the confluence of mystery and meaning.”
–Denton Loving, author of Tamp

“Clearly, Jacob Boyd sees more in his peripheral vision than most of us see head-on; despite their quiet, understated tone, these poems are notable for their striking authority even as they question themselves and by implication their readers, in fresh, surprising ways. This peripatetic collection is not to be missed!”
–Claire Bateman, author of Wonders of the Invisible World (42 MIles Press)