Description of "Holmward Bound - An Evening With Bill Holm"

"Holmward Bound - An Evening With Bill Holm" is the first time that Minnesota author/ essayist/ poet Bill Holm has been available on audio. A collection gleaned from Holm's personal appearances at bookstores and cafes in the Twin Cities area during the winter of 2000-2001, the audio collection features Holm reading from his latest book, "Eccentric Islands," as well as original poems, some singing, some of his masterful, playful, ragtime piano performances and even a recipe.

One of the Midwest's favorite authors, Holm is known for his insightful comments on society and his warm and compelling tales of the people he's met, the travels he's taken. Whether it's his old piano teacher, a crusty ship's radio man on board the Bakkafoss freighter bound for Iceland, or a colorful character from his hometown of Minneota, Minnesota, Holm weaves words that bring people to life.

Fans who've heard Holm live know what this big, booming bard of the prairie can do with a story. For those who haven't yet made it to a live performance, "Holmward Bound" delivers a substantial sample of Holm the author, poet, teacher and musician in action. New and unpublished poems such as "Hallelujah at the Sioux Falls Airport" and "Without TV" and rousing stride piano performances of Artie Mathews' Ragtime Nightingale and Jelly Roll Morton's Grandpa's Spells round out this high-spirited night with Mr. Holm.

Bill Holm's books include "The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth" (Milkweed Editions, 1996/2000 Reissue), "Eccentric Islands: Travels Real and Imaginary," (Milkweed Editions 2000), "Coming Home Crazy: An Alphabet of China Essays (Milkweed Editions, 1990/2000 Reissue), "Boxelder Bug Variations: A Meditation on an Idea in Language and Music" (Milkweed Editions, 1985), and "The Dead Get By with Everything" (Milkweed Editions, 1991).

A native of western Minnesota, Holm returned to Minneota while he was in his 40s, and writes –everything in longhand – from the old family house. He teaches at Southwest State University in Marshall, Minn. (enjoying his first semester of "phased retirement" this winter), and spends his summers in a cottage in his ancestral home of Iceland. He is currently at work on a prose book on what the world looks like through the windows of Brimness and is finishing a book of poems, many about music and travel. He recently finished recording the unabridged versions of his latest books "Eccentric Islands" and "Faces of Christmas Past" with Essay Audio in St. Paul, MN.