Please join us on Thursday, September 12 to celebrate the release of Former SC Poet Laureate Marjory Wentworth’s new collection, One River, One Boat.

This special event - held at the Circular Congregational Church, located at 150 Meeting Street in Charleston - will begin at 6pm.

After a welcome from Buxton Book’s Polly Buxton, current Charleston Poet Laureate and former Charleston Poet Laureate Marcus Amaker will present an introduction before handing the floor over to Marjory. After the program, all attendees are invited to join us for a reception next door at Lance Hall.

The event is open to the public; please email rsvp@buxtonbooks.com to reserve your spot.

About One River, One Boat:

After being cut from Governor Nikki Haley’s inauguration in 2015, former South Carolina poet laurate Marjory Wentworth’s poem “One River, One Boat” serves as the titular piece for a collection of writings to be released by Evening Post Books on August 12, 2024.

This collection of occasional poems and essays includes those written about heartbreaking and joyous times in South Carolina’s history and Wentworth’s own life including the deaths of relatives, gubernatorial inaugurations, the Mother Emmanuel AME massacre, Hurricane Hugo, and more.

Congressman James Clyburn read Wentworth’s poem “One River, One Boat” into the

Congressional record in 2015 after it was slashed from Haley’s inauguration, saying he “hope[s] the people of South Carolina, across the country, and peoples around the world are as touched by her words as I have been.”

About Marjory Wentworth:

Marjory Wentworth is the New York Times bestselling author of Out of Wonder, Poems Celebrating Poets (with Kwame Alexander and Chris Colderley). Her books of poetry include Noticing Eden, Despite Gravity, The Endless Repetition of an Ordinary Miracle and New and Selected Poems. One River, One Boat will be published 8/12/24. Her poems have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize 7 times. She is also the co-writer of We Are Charleston, Tragedy and Triumph at Mother Emanuel, with Herb Frazier and Dr. Bernard Powers and Taking a Stand, The Evolution of Human Rights, with Juan E. Mendez. She is co-editor with Kwame Dawes of Seeking, Poetry and Prose inspired by the Art of Jonathan Green, and the author of the prizewinning children’s story Shackles. She served as the poet laureate of South Carolina from 2003-2020, and in 2021 she received The SC Governor’s Award for the Arts. Her archives are held at the James B. Duke Library at Furman University. Wentworth teaches at Wright State University. She was named a ​Black Earth Institute Fellow for 2022-25. For further information see marjorytwentworth.com.

About Marcus Amaker:

Marcus Amaker takes daily naps. He's a dad, husband, Charleston's first Poet Laureate, an opera writer, and an Academy of American Poets fellow. In 2024, he was inducted into the S.C. Literary Hall of Fame. He's published ten books, released 43 albums of electronic music and three albums with two-time Grammy Award winner Quentin E. Baxter. He's the graphic designer of the award-winning bluegrass music journal, No Depression. His poetry has been recognized by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Washington Post, PBS Newshour, NPR, Button Poetry, American Poets Magazine, The Kennedy Center, and more. His re-written version of “My Country Tis of Thee” was used by the Washington National Opera for President Biden’s inauguration in 2021. His original opera, The Weight of Light, debuted in Chicago in 2024.

About A$iahMae:

AsiahMae, stylized A$iahMae, (they/she) is a Black, non-binary Southern poet, humorist and cultural worker with roots in Georgia, South and North Carolina. A multi-hyphenated artist, their background spans across film, curation, production, performance and language arts. A$iahmae is a Watering Hole Fellow and their work has been featured in The Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston Food & Wine Festival, The Post and Courier, and more. They are the co-creator of the writing platform For The Scribes and co-host of its podcast FTS Presents: Penpals, along with fellow poet Willie Kinard III. They are currently serving as the Second Poet Laureate of Charleston, SC.