Where I Live Some of the Time

A debut book of poetry, Where I Live Some of the Time, is a collection of poems about friendship, nature, fantasy, love, travel, politics and the memories of youth and growing older written shortly after Barry Vitcov turned seventy. There are meditations from his home in Ashland, Oregon and summer vacations in Carmel, California, where he fell under the influence of poet Robinson Jeffers and the Pacific Coastline. The range of topics includes a fantasy about a talking guitar in "Takamine Guitar Love Song," the political commentaries of "Semicolons and Politicians" and "Counting Florets After an Election," and structured villanelles such as "Portraits of Angels in the Sky." Not to be ignored are poems inspired by his standard poodles.

Barry Vitcov is a retired educator having spent 45 years as a middle school English teacher, school administrator, leadership coach, and adjunct university professor. He lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife and two standard poodles. As a teenager, he fondly remembers his father carrying a small collection of his poems in his billfold and showing them off to friends and customers. Barry was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area where he was privileged to experience the 1960's energy, diversity and music as a high school and college student. While attending San Fernando Valley State College (now California State University, Northridge), he was mentored by Newdigate Prize winning poet David Posner and professor and poet Benjamin Saltman. During his educational career, he wrote very little fiction and poetry, as he was immersed in his work. After retirement, he began writing again and continues to hone his literary voice. He has had fiction and poetry published in EAP: The Magazine, Literary Yard, Scarlet Leaf Review, Vita Brevis, Finding the Birds, and The Drabble.