Preble publishes second book of poetry

by Cori Hilsgen

news@thenewsleaders.com

At the age of 80, many people probably would not blame Charles “Charlie” William Preble if he sat back, relaxed and enjoyed retirement. However, Preble is busy working on his love of writing poetry and recently published his second collection of poetry, Portals.

Preble said the poetry is primarily lyrical poetry written in the first person, as was his first collection of poetry, The Ruffed Grouse.

He began writing Portals about four years ago after encouragement from readers of his first collection.

“The response to my first collection was overwhelming, so I said ‘Why not?,'” he said.

After writing several hundred poems, he selected what he thought were the best ones. He was helped by other poets who read and responded to the poetry.

The most surprising was a response from the late Irish poet Seamus Heaney, Nobel Prize winner in poetry who gave a poetry reading at St. John’s University. Preble wrote a poem entitled Seamus Heaney, which is included in his new collection. His writing teacher recommended he send the poem to Heaney.

Preble sent the poem through Heaney’s publisher but never expected a reply. Two months later and within a month of the poet’s death, he received a letter from Dublin. In the letter, Heaney thanked him for sending the poem, saying “the poem constitutes a fine oceanic fantasia” and concluded the letter with a blessing on Preble’s work.

Preble said receiving acknowledgement was unexpected, but to receive praise from the Nobel laureate was astounding. He believes it’s a commentary on Heaney’s generous spirit.

This is Preble’s poem about Heaney.

Seamus Heaney

On that wind-full night, the hall

was full to hear your voice,

and I was keen to listen, but

your words, your brogue, came

blurred, my hearing clogged,

so that I heard a wordless ocean;

I heard the voice of waves

which swayed my boat of skin,

tolled my bones;

I heard a deeper sound which

took me into a sea uncharted

and free.

And still I hear your ocean call

as on that wind-full night,

and now I have your books;

charts to sail me home.

The Portals collection of poetry has been a project with help from others. Preble shares his poems on a weekly basis with a group of poets in St. Paul. Those who gather read each other’s poems and share comments.

“In the end, as I was writing acknowledgements for Portals, I realized what it is,” Preble said. “It is a ‘Testament’ garnered from living and reflective over a life lived. Not many people take that opportunity.”

Preble spent his career as an Anglican priest, serving in colleges, hospitals and prison chaplaincies and as a parish priest. He has lived and worked in California, Nevada, Utah, Minnesota and New York City.

About 30 years ago, Preble also emerged as an artisan in wood and won state and Midwest recognition and awards. He discovered his passion for wood from a book by world-class craftsman-artisan, James Krenov, and took classes from him.

When Preble moved to Minnesota, he was accepted into the Minnesota Crafts Festival and he said his career as a woodworker began there at the University of St. Catherine in St. Paul. On his first day of the festival he sold out all of the pieces he had created. The Minnesota State Historical Society purchased one of his chairs for its permanent collection of 20th century Minnesota Crafts. Minnesota Twins’ player Kirby Puckett’s team commissioned Preble to build a rocker for Puckett when he retired. Preble also designed altars for several churches in Minneapolis and more.

After his health forced him to retire from working with wood about 10 years ago, Preble said he struggled with what to do because by then he had been retired from active ministry for several years.

Through an invitation and the encouragement of his spouse, Jana Bollman, he took a creative-writing course at the Loft Literary Institute in Minneapolis.

He was surprised and shocked that what he wrote was poetry. For him, the class opened a spring within him that has continued to pour fourth, and now he writes every day. After taking a beginning poetry class, Preble said he found his groove.

“In a way, life began for me at the age of 73,” Preble said. “I consider myself a very young poet who is learning every day and has so much to learn. I have no intention of ever stopping.”

Another favorite poem of Preble’s included in Portals is this one.

Thusness

Of course you cannot see

across from here to there,

even on a clear day. The

forever tomorrow

lies hidden, at best blurred.

Time was when you never

worried about it. Time was

too important to waste. Best

hurry along. Too long

it has taken to be enfolded

in the eternity of this moment.

See

this pink breasted chickadee.

She feeds at your window.

Debora Keenan, author of 10 collections of poetry, wrote in her acknowledgement of Preble’s Portals collection that he “. . . is such a spiritual guide,”. . . and the collection is . . . “filled with intelligence, a bounty of words that both delight and guide us.”

Preble self-published his Portals collection, which contains about 60 poems.

“The market for poetry books is very limited and generally does not have a real profit margin,” Preble said. “The Ruffed Grouse was also self-published and is in its fourth printing. This is unusual for all but the most popular poets.”

Portals is available at the College of St. Benedict Book Store, St. John’s University Book Store, St. Benedict’s Monastery Spirituality Center, The Minnesota Street Market and will soon be available at Common Good Books in St. Paul.

Preble and Bollman met at Grinnell College and have been married for 54 years. Bollman was a professor of counseling psychology in St. Cloud and retired 10 years ago as professor emerita (honored for her contributions to academia).

The two have lived in a 19th-Century farmstead in St. Joseph Township since 1986.

Preble is already busy writing his next book.